Department for Transport

Railways: Electrification

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional miles of rail track his Department expects to be electrified in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.

Huw Merriman: The figures in the table below provided by Network Rail set out how many additional miles of rail track the UK government (not devolved administrations) expects to electrify in 2023, 2024 and 2025. These figures are approximate and subject to change. YearLineMiles of electrification2022/23Barking Riverside Line2.52024/25Wigan Bolton Line13Transpennine Route38.5Midland Main Line47 These figures relate only to electrification that will be completed and operational during the years requested. Any figures for electrification that is expected to be completed but not operational during the requested years has not been included. There is a pipeline of schemes across the country where sustained work is underway which will be reported in the years to come. Since 2010, more than 1,200 miles of electrification has been delivered in Great Britain, including almost 800 miles in England and Wales in the last six years, making up for years of underinvestment in electrification. As well as continuing to electrify existing lines and exploring alternative forms of traction including hydrogen, the Government is also investing in new electrified lines as part of the £96bn Integrated Rail Plan, with work already well underway on HS2 from Euston to Manchester.

Roads: Accidents

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on creating a Road Collision Investigation Branch; and when he expects that Branch to be fully operational.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government intends to bring forward measures to enable the creation of a Road Safety Investigation Branch as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Gender

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what definitions the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency uses for (a) gender and (b) sex.

Mr Richard Holden: GB law does not require either sex or gender to be displayed on the driving licence and they are not shown on the licence. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does record on the driving licence record whether a driver is male or female and this information is used to generate a driver number. The process for licence holders to provide and change the information the DVLA holds is not limited by set definitions of sex or gender. In order to change gender on the driver record, the driver needs to provide either a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), a deed poll or statutory declaration. If a driver wants to change both name and gender then the DVLA will accept a deed poll or statutory declaration. Alternatively, if they wish to use a GRC it must be supported by either a deed poll or statutory declaration. A GRC on its own is not accepted for a name and gender change.

Railways: Modernisation

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of whether railways require modernisation.

Huw Merriman: Last month my Right hon. Friend Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for Transport, delivered his vision for rail and set out his plans to modernise the rail industry and progress vital reforms to ensure the railways are fit for purpose. He confirmed his ambition for a customer-focussed, commercially led industry, with the creation of Great British Railways as the new guiding mind for the sector.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure that changes to the registered details of vehicles are processed swiftly.

Mr Richard Holden: The quickest and easiest way to notify changes to vehicle registration details is by using the DVLA’s online service. However, all DVLA vehicle services are operating within normal turnaround times and without delay.

Public Transport: Crime

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many crimes have been committed on (a) buses and (b) trains in each region of England in each of the last five years.

Mr Richard Holden: Information on crimes committed on buses is collected by local police forces. The Government wants bus services to be safe and perceived to be safe by all. The National Bus Strategy required local authorities to set out in their Bus Service Improvement Plans, how local authorities and bus operators will ensure this is delivered. Rail crime data is recorded by the British Transport Police (BTP) and they publish statistical bulletins each year which can be found on their website.

Bus Services: Cheshire

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) Cheshire East and (b) Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority received in funding from his Department through the (i) Bus Service Operator Grant and (ii) Bus Recovery Grant in each of the last five years.

Mr Richard Holden: Since 2013, Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester have received an annual payment of £347,865 and £314,318 respectively through the Bus Service Operators Grant. Cheshire East have been paid £2.2 million since March 2020 to support services through the pandemic, of which they were paid £1,284,863 via Covid-19 Bus Service Support Grant, £534,874 via Bus Recovery Grant and £382,682 from the Local Transport Fund. Cheshire West and Chester have been paid almost £1.5 million since March 2020 to support services through the pandemic, of which they were paid £721,690 via Covid-19 Bus Service Support Grant, £433,300 via Bus Recovery Grant and £339,672 from the Local Transport Fund.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effectiveness of the rural mobility fund pilot projects on provision of bus services.

Mr Richard Holden: The majority of the demand responsive transport pilots involved in the Government’s £20 million Rural Mobility Fund have now launched. A monitoring and evaluation process is in place. We expect to publish interim findings in the first half of 2023, further findings in late 2023/early 2024, and the final findings in 2025 in the form of written reports. However, the exact timings and dissemination approach will be determined closer to the time.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, published on 18 November 2020, how much of the £1.3bn the Government planned to spend to accelerate the roll out of EV charging infrastructure has been spent to date; and in which areas of the UK he plans to invest under that Plan.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to decarbonising transport by phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030. It has already spent over £2 billion to support the transition to zero emission vehicles. This funding has focused on reducing barriers to the adoption of such vehicles, including offsetting their higher upfront cost, and accelerating the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure. Government spend on charging infrastructure for the financial years 2020/21 and 2021/22 is set out in the table below.Project/Scheme20-2121-22Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme and its predecessor Domestic Recharging Scheme.£24,426,000£54,910,000Workplace Charging Scheme£1,536,000£5,803,000On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme£6,028,000£20,578,000 This does not include finalised spending on infrastructure schemes for the 2022/23 financial year, which will be available in due course. The Government is committed to ensuring that the deployment of EV charging infrastructure happens across all areas of the country. Last summer the Government launched the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Pilot, accelerating the delivery of chargepoints across the country. It has now expanded this LEVI pilot scheme to an additional sixteen local authorities, from West Sussex to Rotherham and Cumbria. Work is being undertaken to develop the Rapid Charging Fund (RCF). This year, the Government will launch a public consultation on the RCF and a pilot scheme.

Transport: Apprentices

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of apprenticeships across the transport sector.

Jesse Norman: The Department regularly reviews the availability of apprenticeships within the transport industry. It is committed to working with arm’s length bodies and industry partners to create high quality apprenticeships, so that the sector has the skilled workforce in place to build, maintain and run the UK transport system. For example, the HS2 programme is expected to create 2000 apprenticeships. The Transport Employment and Skills Taskforce, established in 2022, is considering what more IT can do to promote apprenticeships and other training routes across the industry.

Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts by Children in Front Seats) Regulations 1993

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Retained EU Law Bill, whether he plans to (a) revoke (b) retain or (c) replace the Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts by Children in Front Seats) Regulations 1993.

Mr Richard Holden: Individual departments are in the process of assessing their REUL and developing proposals for whether they intend to revoke or reform each piece of legislation or preserve it from the sunset.In respect to the use of seat belts, the legislation underpinning their use is an essential element of our law and has a positive impact on reducing fatal and serious injury on our roads. As such, we do not have any plans to change the requirements for drivers and passengers to wear seat belts.

Ministry of Defence

Gazelle Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on replacing the Army Air Corp's fleet of Gazelle helicopters.

Alex Chalk: Any requirement to replace Gazelle with another crewed aviation platform will be framed by the 2021 Defence Rotary Wing Strategy and evolving operational demands.

F-35 aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the discovery of harmonic resonance in some F135 powerplant units on the UK's F-35B fleet.

Alex Chalk: An assessment of harmonic resonance in F135 power plant units, related to a specific issue, has been undertaken by the Joint Program Office and UK authorities in recent months; UK F-35B Lightning operations have continued throughout this time.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pensions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the clearance time for War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claims in each month since May 2022.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The below table details the average clearance time for first claims under the War Pension Scheme and initial injury or illness claims under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme for each calendar month between May and December 2022 (latest data available).Table 1: Average (mean) clearance times and number of claims for first disablement claims1 cleared under the War Pension Scheme and Injury/Illness claims2 cleared under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, in working days, by calendar month3  May 2022Jun 2022Jul 2022Aug 2022Sep 2022Oct 2022Nov 2022Dec 2022War  Pension  SchemeNumber of claims4 130185105180130125190145Mean clearance time135161158165161181163152Armed Forces  Compensation SchemeNumber of claims4 470460395420405630575445Mean clearance time79869510010595109971 May 2022 – 31 December 2022Source: War Pension Computer System (WPCS) and Compensation and Pension System (CAPS)War Pension Scheme first disablement claims.Armed Forces Compensation Scheme initial Injury/Illness claims.By calendar month in which the claim was cleared.In line with the JSP 200 directive on statistical disclosure control, figures for 'Number of claims' have been rounded to the nearest five.Figures are provisional until the release of the 22/23 claims information in the relevant National Statistic in June 2023

Veterans: Identity Cards

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November to Question 78753 on Veterans: Identity Cards, what progress his Department has made on the (a) new digital service for veterans and (b) delivery of Veterans’ Recognition Cards.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Government remains committed to delivering recognition cards to existing veterans. Work is underway to develop the verification system required in order to begin the second phase of the card rollout to those who left service before December 2018. The Office for Veterans’ Affairs has led this work through the initial development phases and the Ministry of Defence has now taken responsibility for the next stage which will further develop and test the service, including with a small community of veterans. We will be engaging with veterans over the coming months to participate in this testing phase.

Armed Forces: Medals

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps his Department has taken to create a Wider Service Medal.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There has been an ongoing debate among interested parties, including veterans and campaigners, about whether the current model for awarding medals to members of the Armed Forces fits the changing face of operations. This issue was recognised by Sir John Holmes in the Military Medals Review published in July 2012. However, whilst no such medal has so far been introduced, we continuously evaluate those medals that are awarded and whether they remain appropriate for the current operational environment.

Armed Forces: Housing

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 20 December 2022, Official Report, column 143, how many properties housing armed forces accommodation have not had hot heating or hot water for a period of more than 24 hours in each of the last twelve months.

Alex Chalk: It remains the Department’s position that no home should be left without any form of heating or hot water for more than 24 hours. Where a fault with the heating or hot water cannot be rectified within this timeframe, alternative forms of heating and sources of hot water, or alternative accommodation, should be provided. Since early December 2022, the Ministry of Defence is receiving daily dashboards which detail response rates to heating and hot water loss in Service Family Accommodation. This is being used to measure performance improvements and hold contractors to account to deliver against their Acceptable Level of Performance target of resolving heating and hot water loss within 48 hours. A copy of the latest dashboard will be placed in the library of the House. Information prior to December 2022 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has a ministerial disability champion.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I was appointed as the Ministerial Disability Champion for the Ministry of Defence in February 2023. I will work with the other Ministerial Disability Champions appointed in each Government Department, to represent the interests of disabled people and drive forward progress on disability policy across Government.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation: Directors

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who was on the Defence Infrastructure Organisation board as of 1 February 2023.

Alex Chalk: Members of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) Board can be found on the table below.NamePositionNeil SachdevNon-Executive Director and Board ChairGurpreet DehalNon-Executive DirectorRobin GisbyNon-Executive DirectorGary KildareNon-Executive DirectorBill YardleyNon-Executive DirectorMike GreenDIO Chief ExecutiveKate HarrisonDIO Director of FinanceSherin AminosseheFinance Military Capability Infrastructure Director. Internal NEDMark PrestonHead of Directorate Sponsorship and Organisational Policy. Internal NED

Defence Infrastructure Organisation: Staff

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff worked for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation in each year since 2010.

Alex Chalk: The table below details how many staff worked for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) in each year since 2010. Please note the DIO was formed in April 2011, numbers prior to this were for Defence Estates employees. Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) joined DIO in 2013, and increased DIO’s headcount by almost 2,500 people.  YearNumber of staff as at 31 December20103,17520112,84420122,96220135,38720144,59520154,66920164,67620174,74720184,92320195,16620205,64820215,78020226,022  All figures include employees and non-employees (non-employees include Agency/Contractors/Military) and do not include Locally Employed Civilians.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected 2023-2024 budget is for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the budget of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation was in each year since 2010.

Alex Chalk: The projected budget for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) for Financial Year (FY) 2023-24, based on provisional budget allocation, is £1,096.1 million. The annual budget for the DIO in each year since 2010 can be found in the table below:  YearTotal Budget £ millionFY2010-111,847.5FY2011-123,210.8FY2012-133,431.9FY2013-143,834.7FY2014-153,564.2FY2015-162,917.0FY2016-173,200.9FY2017-183,420.2FY2018-19846.8FY2019-20864.4FY2020-21920.9FY2021-22961.8FY2022-23 to date3,522.6  The increase in budget between FY2010-11 and FY2011-12 was due to the transfer of infrastructure related budgets from the Single Services (e.g. Army, Royal Navy, Air Force) to the DIO. The reduction in budget between FY2017-18 and FY2018-19 was due to infrastructure related budgets being delegated back to the Single Services to enhance their decision making freedoms as regards infrastructure. The data for FY2022-23 as at end of January 2023 includes £2,331 million in Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) in respect of the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standard 16 (IFRS16) (the new accounting policy).

Military Bases: Sales

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been raised from sale proceeds of Defence Estate disposals between 7 November 2016 to 1 February 2023.

Alex Chalk: The sum raised from Defence Estate disposals between 7 November 2016 and 1 February 2023 is £691 million.

Military Bases

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what Housing Unit Potential has been created by the release of Defence Estate land as of 1 February 2023.

Alex Chalk: Housing Unit Potential created by the release of Defence Estate land between 7 November 2016 and 1 February 2023 is approximately 9,000 units.

Alanbrooke Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Alanbrooke Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Information on the size (in hectares) of Alanbrooke Barracks publicly available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1087580/House_of_Commons_Report_-_June_2022.ods The Housing Unit Potential of Alanbrooke Barracks has not yet been confirmed.

Albemarle Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Albermarle Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Alma Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Bourlon Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Cambrai Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Dishforth Barracks, Thirsk.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Gaza Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Albermarle Barracks is 208.8 hectares in size. Alma Barracks is 14.1 hectares in size. Bourlon Barracks is 19.3 hectares in size. Cambrai Barracks is 16.2 hectares in size. Dishforth Barracks is 229.9 hectares in size. Gaza Barracks is 21.3 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the sites, as they have not been identified for disposal.

Victoria Barracks Ballater

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Victoria Barracks, Ballater.

Alex Chalk: Victoria Barracks is 0.6 hectares in size.No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the site, as it has not been identified for disposal.

Glencorse Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Glencorse Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Glencorse Barracks is 60.1 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the site, as it has not been identified for disposal.

Tanks

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has taken recent steps to increase the number of main battle tanks available to the army.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has taken recent steps to increase the number of armoured vehicles available to the army.

Alex Chalk: The British Army holds and maintains an appropriate amount of Main Battle Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles to meet operational requirements. Consideration of equipment fleet sizes is routine activity to ensure they remain sufficient to meet Defence’s needs.

Frigates

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has taken recent steps to increase the number of frigates available to the Royal Navy.

Alex Chalk: The Royal Navy (RN) continues to ensure that it has sufficient assets available to deliver its operational outputs. In the coming years, the make-up of the RN will change as it transitions from Type 23 Frigates to Type 26 Anti-Submarine Warfare and Type 31 General Purpose Frigates.The Integrated Review conducted in 2021 provided an additional £1.8 billion for shipbuilding to grow the Royal Navy over the coming decades.

Redford Barracks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Fort George.

Alex Chalk: This information is publicly available at the following link https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1087580/House_of_Commons_Report_-_June_2022.ods

Kinloss Barracks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Kinloss Barracks.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Dreghorn Barracks.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Cameron Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Please see the table below with the size of each of the Barracks in hectares: BarracksSize in hectaresDreghorn Barracks78.5Kinloss Barracks698.8Cameron Barracks20.6 No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the sites, as they have not been identified for disposal.

Brecon Barracks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Brecon Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Brecon Barracks is 2.4 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the site, as it has not been identified for disposal.

Weeton Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Weeton Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Weeton Barracks is 88.5 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the site, as it has not been identified for disposal.

Marne Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Marne Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Piave and Bapaume Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Somme Barracks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential is of Ypres Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Please see the table below with the size of the each of the Barracks in hectares: BarracksSize in hectaresPiave and Bapume Barracks16.2Somme Barracks16.7Ypres Barracks4.1Marne Barracks168.2 No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of these sites, as they have not been identified for disposal.

Carver Barracks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Carver Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Carver Barracks is 163.9 hectares in size.No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the site, as it has not been identified for disposal.

MOD Credenhill

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Credenhill.

Alex Chalk: Credenhill Barracks is 85.6 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the site, as it has not been identified for disposal.

Garats Hay Barracks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Garats Hay Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Garats Hay Barracks is 79.9 hectares in size.No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of the site, as it has not been identified for disposal.

Gazelle Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned out of service date is for his Department's fleet of Gazelle helicopters.

Alex Chalk: March 2024 is the planned out of service date.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department took delivery of the five H135 aircraft originally procured for project MATCHA.

Alex Chalk: The H135 aircraft procured for project MATCHA were delivered between October 2022 and February 2023.

Military Alliances: Germany

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the (a) bilateral UK-German defence procurement projects and (b) multi nation procurement projects that both the UK and Germany are currently members of.

Alex Chalk: The UK and Germany are currently engaged in the following defence procurement projects:Bilateral: Wide Wet Gap Crossing.Multi-National: A400M Atlas, Boxer, Collaborative All-Terrain Vehicle (BvS-10), Eurofighter Typhoon, European Sky Shield Initiative1, Meteor air-to-air missile, NATO Ground Based Air Defence High Visibility Project2, Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability2.Letter of Intent.Concept stage/technology development projects.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has contracted work to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme in the last three years.

Mr Alister Jack: All employers need to pay their staff correctly. Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it’s the law. Under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, employers who have previously broken minimum wage law can be publicly named. The Department for Business and Trade follows a clear and thorough process allowing firms to make representations against being named if they meet our published criteria. Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department has contracted work to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme in the last three years.

Mr Steve Baker: The Northern Ireland Office has not awarded contracts to employers named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme following publication on 9 Dec 2021. All employers must pay their staff correctly. Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it’s the law. Under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, employers who have previously broken minimum wage law can be publicly named. The Department for Business and Trade follows a clear and thorough process allowing firms to make representations against being named, if they meet our published criteria. Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of expanding reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the EU to include elective treatment.

Will Quince: As a result of the EU-UK Trade Cooperation Agreement, the United Kingdom benefits from a comprehensive reciprocal healthcare agreement with the European Union.The arrangements includes the “S2” planned treatment funding route which entitles UK residents to National Health Service funding for planned state healthcare treatment in an EU country if certain criteria, set out in the Agreement, are met. This covers elective treatment.Treatment must normally be provided on the NHS, be available on the treating country’s state healthcare scheme, and the same treatment cannot be provided to the patient on the NHS within a time period that is medically justifiable.There are currently no plans to further expand reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the EU.

Agency Nurses

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 October 2022 to Question 48429 on Nurses: Temporary Employment, how much NHS England spent on agency nurses in the 2021-22 financial year.

Will Quince: Agency spend on nurses for 2021/22 is not yet available. While the NHS Consolidated Accounts have been published, this does not include an explicit figure for agency spend as it is bundled together with other spend items. We expect the agency data for 2021/22 to be published this spring.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 1 March to Question 152186 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, for what reason the Christchurch resident with case reference VAD7859 (a) is awaiting a decision and (b) has not been receiving timely responses to emails and phone calls requesting information on progress.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Procurement

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to pages 245 and 246 of his Department’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2021/22, HC1043, what the nature was of the goods already manufactured but not yet delivered for which compensation had to be paid by his Department; and what the (a) name and (b) location was of the supplier in question.

Will Quince: The special payment cited in this part of the Annual Report and Accounts is in reference to a Personal Protective Equipment contract. The product in question was aprons; the name of the supplier was Jason Offshore Ltd, which is based in Hong Kong.

Dementia: Research

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the £375 million of funding for researching neurodegenerative diseases over the following five years announced in November 2021, whether his Department will provide additional funding for such research as part of the 10-year plan for dementia.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dementia

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department made on enacting the 10-Year Plan for Dementia that was announced by the Government in May 2022.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Closures

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP practices in England have closed in the last 12 months.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Drugs

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS's draft guidance for Evusheld, published on 16 February 2023, whether he has made an assessment of the time requirement for conducting the proposed rapid appraisal process for covid-19 medicines to help to ensure those medicines are available for patients.

Will Quince: As new COVID-19 variants do develop over time, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced that it is developing a new review process to update its recommendations on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of COVID-19 treatments so they can be made available more quickly to patients, if they show promise against new variants and are found to be cost-effective. NICE will launch a public consultation on proposals for the new rapid update process from 3 April this year.

NHS: Agency Workers

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2022 to Question 80803 on NHS: Agency Workers, if he will publish in the House of Commons Library the total cost to the public purse of agency staff in 2021-22 once figures are centrally validated; and when he expects those figures will be validated.

Will Quince: While the NHS Consolidated Accounts have been published, this does not include an explicit figure for agency spend as it is bundled together with other spend items. We expect the agency data for 2021/22 to be published this spring.

NHS England: Thompson

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the article in the Health Service Journal entitled Branding agency hired to help cultivate new personality for NHSE, published on 7 February 2023, what the value of NHS England's contract with Thompson for work referenced in that article is; and if he will publish the interim update for senior leaders.

Will Quince: We are unable to provide the information requested on NHS England's contract with Thompson as it is commercially sensitive.

Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to recent letters sent from the NHS to individuals deemed to be at higher risk from coronavirus, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that individuals in this group who report a positive test receive advice about treatment within the specific 24-hour time frame.

Will Quince: NHS England is responsible for delivery COVID-19 treatments to eligible patients who have been identified as those who are at the highest risk from COVID-19.Patients who are clinically eligible for COVID-19 treatments have been identified digitally, where possible, and should have been notified of their eligibility to receive these treatments. The Government will also send patients in this cohort free lateral flow tests.In the event of a positive lateral flow result, a local COVID Medicines Delivery Unit (CMDU) will contact the majority of patients directly to confirm their eligibility and arrange treatment if appropriate. In the event a patient is not contacted directly by the National Health Service within 24 hours of a positive lateral flow result, they are encouraged to phone their general practitioner practice or 111 for an urgent referral to a CMDU.

Department of Health and Social Care: Staff

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he intends to publish his Department's workforce management information data for the months of March, April and May 2021.

Will Quince: The workforce management information data for the months of March, April and May 2021 will be published shortly.

NHS: Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) closure and (b) reduction of mental health hubs for NHS staff on levels of staff mental health.

Will Quince: The staff mental health and wellbeing hubs were set up in October 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, using additional non-recurrent funding until 2022/23. Consideration on future funding of these hubs for 2023/24 is still under discussion.

Fibromyalgia

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to promote greater awareness of fibromyalgia among (a) the medical profession, (b) government departments and (c) employers.

Helen Whately: There are no specific plans to promote greater awareness of fibromyalgia. There is National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance available on the diagnosis and management of chronic pain conditions, including fibromyalgia. NICE promotes guidance via its website, newsletters and other media. NICE guidelines represent best practice and health professionals, including general practitioners, are expected to take them fully into account.There are also a range of initiatives to support greater employer awareness of health conditions such as fibromyalgia, including the Information and Advice Service which provides better integrated and tailored guidance on supporting and managing health and disability in the workplace.

Arthritis: Diagnosis

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve early diagnosis rates for arthritis.

Helen Whately: NHS England is working to help improve early diagnosis rates for arthritis through its Getting It Right First Time rheumatology programme, which is designed to improve the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis. The national report makes a number of recommendations which look to support equitable and consistent access to diagnostic tests.In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of guidance to support early diagnosis of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Whilst NICE guidelines are not mandatory, healthcare professionals and commissioners are expected to take them fully into account.

Arthritis: Surgery

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support people with arthritis who are waiting for elective surgery.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the health of people with arthritis while they are waiting for elective treatment.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people with arthritis who are waiting for elective surgery.

Helen Whately: To support the health of people with arthritis while they are waiting for elective treatment, NHS England has worked with Versus Arthritis on their Joint Replacement Support Package, a six point package aimed at local health systems to provide to patients. The Department has taken steps to assist those waiting for elective treatment and surgery, for instance through patient choice and the My Planned Care platform. The Government also announced on 24 January 2023 a Major Conditions Strategy, for which an interim report will be published in the summer.

NHS: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to allow funding provided to ease winter pressures in the NHS in the 2022-23 financial year to be used for winter planning for the 2023-24 financial year.

Will Quince: Funding for 2022/23 has been made available for that financial year only.As set out in the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, the Government has committed to targeted funding to support services next year. This includes £1 billion to support hospitals to increase capacity in 2023/24; and £1.6 billion of additional social care discharge funding over 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Radioisotopes

Amy Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of medical grade radioisotopes in the UK including (a) Molybdenum-99 generators and and (b) Iodine-131.

Amy Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) medium-term and (b) long-term sustainability of the supply of (i) Molybdenum-99 generators, (ii) Iodine-131medical grade radioisotopes and (iii) other medical grade radioisotopes.

Will Quince: We are working closely with officials in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero who are leading a £6 million funded Medical Radionuclide Innovation Programme. This is focused on safeguarding the provision and development of radiopharmaceuticals for United Kingdom patients in the medium and long-term and encouraging innovation in technologies and techniques that could support access to radioisotopes in order to increase the UK’s resilience in times of global supply constraints or shortages. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has commissioned a landscape assessment to inform Government action in this area.We routinely monitor short-term threats to the supply of medical grade radioisotopes, including through regular contact with UK suppliers, and has well-established processes which aim to prevent supply issues occurring in the first instance, and to manage or mitigate them when they occur. There are currently no active UK supply issues with medical radioisotopes.

General Practitioners

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the socio-economic classification of patients on GP workloads.

Neil O'Brien: As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service to provide primary medical services, it is largely up to general practitioner (GP) practices how they run their surgeries. It is the responsibility of the local NHS to plan, develop and improve health services according to the healthcare needs of the local population.The global sum allocation formula which underpins capitation payments to general practices is designed to ensure that resources are directed to practices based on an estimate of their patient workload and unavoidable practice costs. These payments include various components, but the main payment is based on the GP-registered patient list size, adjusted through the Carr-Hill Formula to reflect differences in the age and sex composition of the practice’s registered patient list, together with a range of factors that account for the additional pressures generated by deprivation, differential rates of patient turnover, morbidity, mortality and the impact of geographical location. Under this formula, practices whose registered patients have greater healthcare needs are paid more per patient than practices whose registered patients have fewer healthcare needs.The Government has made several changes to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for GPs to free up time for appointments, including expanding the range of healthcare professionals who can sign fit notes and publishing the bureaucracy busting concordat; seven principles to reduce unnecessary burdens. The expanded primary care teams funded through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme will also add extra clinical capacity.

Air Pollution: Health

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the paper Associations between air pollution and multimorbidity in the UK Biobank: A cross-sectional study.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the paper Associations between air pollution and multimorbidity in the UK Biobank: A cross-sectional study, if he will make an assessment of the consequences for his policies of links between mental health and air pollution.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made. However, the developing evidence on this issue is kept under review and this paper will be taken into account as part of the overall evidence base.The UK Health Security Agency’s Cleaner Air Programme is working to increase and improve awareness and understanding of the evidence base on the health impacts of air pollution in the United Kingdom, including its links with multimorbidity and mental health. There is ongoing collaborative work across Government to address these health impacts.

Arthritis: Surgery

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with arthritis are currently waiting for elective surgery.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people living with arthritis are waiting for elective surgery.

Helen Whately: The data is not available in the requested format.

Surgery: Private Sector

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2023 to Question 147198 on Surgery: Private Sector, what the total cost to the public purse was of the 1,891,632 NHS-funded procedures carried out by non-NHS providers in the financial year 2021-22.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2023 to Question 147198 on Surgery: Private Sector, if he will provide a regional breakdown of NHS funded procedures carried out by non-NHS providers in 2021-22.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested. Data on the procedures performed by non National Health Service providers and the associated cost is not held by the department.

Mental Health Services: Standards

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve mental health services.

Maria Caulfield: We continue to make progress on delivering the mental health aims of the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to investing at least £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by 2023/24 to expand and transform mental health services in England so that two million more people will be able to get the mental health support they need. On 23 January we set out details on how £150 million of capital investment, first announced at the 2021 Spending Review, will be used to build mental health urgent and emergency care infrastructure over the three years to 2024/25. This includes funding for up to 90 new specialised mental health ambulances over the next two years and will also support over 150 wider capital schemes including to provide and improve crisis cafes, crisis houses, mental health urgent care centres, health-based places of safety and broader improvements to crisis lines and emergency departments. This will support care be provided in more appropriate spaces for those in need, and will help reduce pressure on wider parts of the system including accident and emergency.

Air Pollution: Mental Health

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the paper Mental health consequences of urban air pollution: prospective population-based longitudinal survey.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made. However, the developing evidence on this issue is kept under review and this paper will be taken into account as part of the overall evidence base. There is ongoing collaborative work across Government to address the health impacts of air pollution.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 22 February 2023 to Question 48769 on Breast Cancer: Screening, whether his Department requires GP's to introduce text message alerts for all breast screening services.

Neil O'Brien: Invitations and text reminders to attend breast screenings are not sent out by general practitioners. They are sent out through breasts screening units using the national information technology system commissioned by NHS England, which generates invitations.In line with the NHS Long Term Plan and the Sir Mike Richards Independent Review of National Cancer Screening Programmes in England, NHS England has committed to the promotion of the use of text messages in screening.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February to Question 143814 on Mental Health Services: Children and Young People, what the additional investment into mental health services in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency is (a) in 2022-23 and (b) planned for 2023-24.

Maria Caulfield: We remain committed to investing in expanding and transforming National Health Service mental health services in England as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Plan sets out a minimum of £2.3 billion growth a year by 2023/24, which we are on track to deliver. However, the amount and proportion of this funding and its distribution amongst commissioning bodies is not separately identifiable from the overall amounts spent annually on mental health services.

Social Prescribing: Children and Young People

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of social prescribing for supporting mental health and wellbeing in children and young people; and what steps his Department is taking to increase access to social prescribing for children and young people.

Maria Caulfield: No specific assessment has been made. The Department recognises the value of social prescribing for children and young people. NHS England training programme for social prescribing link workers includes a module to support social prescribing for children and young people.

NHS Covid Pass

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2022 to Question 25762 on NHS Covid Pass, whether the NHS COVID Pass Programme has now been closed.

Maria Caulfield: All COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in March 2022. The NHS Covid Pass programme has moved to a business as usual state and transitioned to the NHS Business Services Authority. People can still access COVID-19 Pass for international travel.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department allocated for the treatment of people who have been injured due to adverse effects of covid-19 vaccines in each year since 2020.

Maria Caulfield: There is no specific budget allocated to NHS England for the treatment of individuals who may have been injured following an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine. Treatment will be managed by National Health Service local specialist services, with funding provided in the usual way through general allocations.

Gynaecology: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with his Cabinet colleagues to press for greater resources to allow full and timely access to medical services and reviews in Northern Ireland for women and girls suffering from (a) endometriosis, (b) polycystic ovary syndrome and (c) other gynaecological issues.

Maria Caulfield: This is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Health in Northern Ireland to respond to. In the absence of Northern Ireland Executive ministers, the Northern Ireland Act 2022 provides Northern Ireland civil servants with the clarity they require to take the limited but necessary decisions to maintain delivery of public services and operate in the public interest.The United Kingdom Government’s commitment remains absolutely clear that the restoration of the devolved institutions is an utmost priority so that important decisions, including those within the health and social care sector can be taken by locally elected Ministers.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of funding for mental health services in the context of the proportion of people living within mental health conditions.

Maria Caulfield: It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, and we are supporting them to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 so that an additional two million are able to access National Health Service funded mental health support.A Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 January, set out that the allocation of funding for mental health is expected to increase to 8.92% of NHS funding for the coming financial year, 2023/24. This is to ensure better transparency as part of the Government’s commitment to parity of esteem, ensuring that patients are able to access services which treat both mental and physical health conditions equally and to the same standard.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of (a) adults and (b) children on NHS waiting lists for mental health treatment have been waiting for more than one year.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of (a) adults and (b) children on NHS waiting lists for mental health treatment have been waiting for more than two years.

Maria Caulfield: The data is not held in the format requested as a national access and waiting times standard for National Health Service mental health services has not yet been defined. Currently access and waiting times standards exist for Access to NHS Talking Therapies available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/improving-access-to-psychological-therapies-data-set; Early intervention for psychosis services available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/eip-waiting-times/ and Children and young people's eating disorder services available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cyped-waiting-times/. NHS England has consulted on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards for adults and children as part of its Clinically-led Review of NHS Access Standards. These include that children, young people and their families, presenting to community-based mental health services should start to receive care within four weeks from referral. As a first step, NHS England has recently shared and promoted guidance with its local system partners to consistently report waiting times to support the development of a baseline position.

Influenza: Vaccination

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to implement the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation that future flu vaccinations be provided for all 2-18-year-olds in England.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the decisions of the Scottish and Welsh Governments to ensure all 2-18 year olds are provided with a flu vaccination for 2023-24.

Maria Caulfield: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation published advice on 30 November 2022 regarding the 2023/24 seasonal flu vaccination programme. The Government is considering this advice for England, noting the approach to vaccinating children against flu in the other United Kingdom nations. Details about which cohorts will be offered a free seasonal flu vaccine in England in 2023/24 and which vaccines they will be offered will be set out in due course.

Gynaecology: Information

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to update the NHS website to include up-to-date information on menstrual health conditions using plain English.

Maria Caulfield: As part of our work to deliver the Women’s Health Strategy we will launch a women’s health area on the National Health Service website before summer recess. This will be the first step in transforming the NHS website, so it becomes the first port of call for women’s health information. Future work will include improving pages on women’s health conditions, including menstrual health, to ensure they contain the most up-to-date evidence and advice with enhancing signposting to other reliable sources of information and support.

Gynaecology: Health Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the information and resources on menstrual health conditions provided to primary healthcare professionals to help diagnosis and referrals to specialist treatment.

Maria Caulfield: The Women’s Health Strategy sets out our ambitions to improve healthcare professional education and training on women’s health, including working alongside the Women's Health Ambassador, education institutions, professional bodies and other stakeholders to improve education and training.There are a number of resources available to healthcare professionals in primary care. For example, the Royal College of General Practitioners has developed a Women’s Health toolkit which aims to support practising general practitioners (GPs). This resource is continually updated to ensure GPs have the most up-to-date advice to provide the best care for their patients. The Royal College of Nursing has also produced a women’s health pocket guide for nurses and midwives working with women. New credentials focused on women’s health have already been piloted or are in development. This will standardise and improve training in these areas of women’s health.The National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing authoritative, evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals to drive best practice in the National Health Service. NICE is currently updating its guidelines on endometriosis and menopause, and the development of a guideline on polycystic ovary syndrome is being considered through the established topic selection process.

Influenza: Vaccination

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2023 to Question 146946 on Mortality Rates, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the timing of the delivery of flu vaccines for (a) children and (b) adolescents on the level of excess deaths in winter 2022-23.

Maria Caulfield: There is no assessment of this for the 2022 to 2023 season. The aim of the children’s influenza vaccination programme is to provide direct protection to them against influenza, and indirect protection to the wider population through reduced transmission. In 2022 to 2023 children in clinical risk groups, aged two and three years old, in primary school, and in secondary school years seven to nine were eligible.Optimal population protection is provided by vaccinating children before influenza starts circulating. This year influenza activity peaked in week 51, the week beginning 26 December 2022.The majority of those in eligible cohorts were vaccinated prior to Christmas, although for most secondary school aged children vaccination took place in December and throughout the new year. The data published by the UK Health Security Agency is available at the following link:www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake:-figuresThere is a lot of uncertainty around the relative contribution of influenza to excess deaths in winter because of the way deaths are recorded. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) also varies from year to year, with interim VE results for the children’s nasal spray showing good protection this year.

Surrogacy

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to update its guidance on surrogacy for (a) professionals, (b) surrogates and (c) people seeking to become parents through surrogacy.

Maria Caulfield: We have no current plans to update the guidance on surrogacy.

Influenza: Vaccination

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2023 to Question 146946 on Mortality Rates, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of update of the flu vaccine by (a) children and (b) adolescents on the level of excess deaths in winter 2022-23.

Maria Caulfield: There is no assessment of this for the 2022 to 2023 season. Vaccination of children against influenza was recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in 2012 as modelling suggested it was likely to be highly cost-effective even at relatively low levels of uptake. In 2022 to 2023 children in clinical risk groups, aged two and three years old, in primary school, and in secondary school years seven to nine were eligible.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department has contracted work to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme in the last three years.

Dr James Davies: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales has not contracted any work in the last three years to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme. All employers need to pay their staff correctly. Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it’s the law. Under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, employers who have previously broken minimum wage law can be publicly named. The Department for Business and Trade follows a clear and thorough process allowing firms to make representations against being named if they meet our published criteria. Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Department for Education

Education: Ethnic Groups

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to adopt the 18-plus-one ethnic data recording system used in the census across all education (a) services and (b) providers.

Nick Gibb: The Department follows the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and Government Statistical Service harmonised standards for collecting and/or presenting statistics. Detail on these codes and information on how the codes were chosen is available at: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/ethnic-groups.The ONS lead cross government work to harmonise data, including on ethnicity. The Department continues to be part of that work and will look to introduce any recommendations. Information on harmonisation of data is available at: https://analysisfunction.civilservice.gov.uk/policy-store/gss-harmonisation-team-workplan/#ethnicity.The Department publishes the data code sets that are accepted in data that must be returned to the Department as part of the Common Basic Data Set (CBDS). This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/common-basic-data-set-cbds-database.The CBDS is used by developers of school management information systems and incorporated into their products. The CBDS lists what are now the 19-plus-one ethnic code sets along with a more granular list of options. These options allow data subjects to select an ethnicity that most closely matches their ethnicity. Guidance instructs schools and Local Authorities that they should not ascribe ethnicity to an individual. Instead, it must come from the parent, guardian, or person themselves.

Schools: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet the hon. Member for York Central to discuss safety and safeguarding at a school in York.

Nick Gibb: Schools and colleges have a critical role to play in safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. Keeping Children Safe in Education is statutory safeguarding guidance which all schools and colleges must have regard to, to ensure the safety of children at school. I would be very pleased to meet the hon. Member for York Central to discuss safety and safeguarding in the particular school and more generally.

School Leaving: GCSE

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help school leavers who did not achieve a grade 4 or above in GCSE (a) Maths and (b) English in the 2021-22 academic year to do so in the next two years.

Nick Gibb: Students who leave education with a good grasp of English and mathematics increase their chances of securing a job or going on to further education. This is why the Department requires young people to continue to study English and mathematics in their 16 to 18 study programmes if they have not achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above by age 16. Since the introduction of the English and mathematics condition of funding policy, there has been consistent improvement for pupils between 16 to 19 in terms of their achievement in level 2 English and mathematics.The Department recognises the challenges that some students experience in achieving an English or mathematics GCSE grade 4 or pass in Level 2 Functional Skills. That is why the Department continues to fund professional development to help schools and colleges support more students to achieve a Level 2 in these subjects. The Department has invested £30 million to improve mathematics teaching in post-16 institutions through the Centres for Excellence in Maths programme.Across the next three years, the Department is concentrating funding of up to £15 million in professional development programmes, research, and resources, all specifically focused on supporting teachers of 16 to 19 English and mathematics up to Level 2.The 16-19 Tuition Fund has also made £400 million available to schools, colleges and all other 16 to 19 institutions over four years, since 2020/21. This funding provides small group tutoring activity for disadvantaged 16 to 19 year old pupils in subjects such as English and mathematics, allowing one to one and small group catch up tuition. In addition, funding has been made available since 2022/23 to support additional hours for more teaching in 16 to 19 study programmes and T Levels. These hours should be used to prioritise mathematics, where there is an identified pupil need.

Schools: Discipline

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has provided guidance to Ofsted on assessing the potential impact of discipline on the wellbeing of children.

Nick Gibb: Good behaviour in schools is central to a good education, and strong behaviour cultures and boundaries have a positive impact on the wellbeing of pupils and staff. Schools need to manage behaviour well, so that they can provide calm, safe and supportive environments where pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected. No pupil should miss out on education because they feel unsafe or miss out on teaching because their lesson is disrupted.Where behaviour is poor, pupils can suffer from issues as diverse as lost teaching time, child-on-child abuse, anxiety, bullying, violence, and distress. It can cause some children to stay away from school, missing vital education.The Department has published non-statutory guidance on behaviour and mental health in schools, entitled ‘Behaviour in Schools’. This is the primary source of help and support for schools on developing and implementing a behaviour policy that can create a school culture with high expectations of behaviour.Ofsted’s guidance to inspectors, outlined in its published School Inspection Handbook, sets out that inspectors will consider how leaders and staff set high expectations for behaviour, and how well these are communicated and understood. Inspectors will look at whether there is a safe, calm, orderly and positive environment in the school, and will consider the effect this has on the behaviour and attitudes of pupils. Inspectors will also want to see that schools are supporting the development of pupils’ confidence, resilience, and knowledge to help support their wellbeing.

Higher Education: Nottingham South

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many places in higher education are guaranteed for disadvantaged students in Nottingham South constituency.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve social mobility in higher education for students in Nottingham South constituency.

Robert Halfon: We want to provide a ladder of opportunity so that everyone can get the education and skills they need for job security and prosperity, and to support levelling up across the country, including in Nottingham South constituency Our access and participation reforms are playing a key role in ensuring that the young people of Nottingham South can get the support they need to make decisions that are right for them, regardless of their socio-economic background, whether that is progressing into higher education (HE), further education, or apprenticeships. The department wants universities to:Work more with schools and colleges to raise standards so that students have more options and can choose the path that is right for them.Move away from just getting disadvantaged students through the door, and instead tackle dropout rates and support students through university to graduation and into high skilled and high paid jobs.Offer more courses that are linked to skills and flexible learning such as degree apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications, and part-time courses. Examples of this can already be found in Nottingham, where both local universities offer degree apprenticeships with Nottingham Trent University providing access to alternative routes to higher education at its Mansfield campus. The majority of providers who submitted requests for variations to their access and participation plans to the Office for Students are carrying out work in line with these priorities. HE providers are autonomous bodies, independent from government. They are responsible for their own admissions decisions. It is a matter for individual providers to consider whether to use contextual information about applicants, such as their socio-economic background. Students in Nottingham South, regardless of their background, should feel confident that getting into HE is a fair process. In 2022, a record numbers of students progressed into HE, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Schools: Discipline

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of strict disciplinary regimes in schools on children with anxiety.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of strict disciplinary regimes in schools on children with (a) autism and (b) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Nick Gibb: Strong behaviour cultures and boundaries have a positive impact on the wellbeing of pupils and staff. Schools need to manage behaviour well so that they can provide calm, safe and supportive environments where pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected. No pupil should miss out on teaching because their lesson is disrupted.Where behaviour is poor, pupils can suffer from issues as diverse as lost teaching time, child-on-child abuse, anxiety, bullying, violence, and distress. It can cause some children to stay away from school, missing vital education.The Behaviour in Schools guidance, published in 2022, focuses on how schools can proactively support pupils to behave appropriately through explicit teaching of what good behaviour looks like, and highlights the need for mutual respect and kindness between staff and pupils. It acknowledges that positive relationships can be built in environments where there is predictability, fairness and trust, and in these environments, pupils with additional needs can be better supported to meet a school’s behaviour expectations.Any school behaviour policy must be lawful, proportionate and reasonable and comply with the school’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Account must be taken of a pupil’s age, any special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) they may have, and any religious requirements affecting them.

Initial Teacher Training Market Review

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her Department's initial teacher training market review on the Government's levelling up policies.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of delaying the implementation of the Initial Teacher Training Market Review by one academic year to allow providers who have not yet met the benchmark for accreditation to work with her Department to meet all criteria.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of its Initial Teacher Training Market Review on reaching its teacher recruitment targets.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Initial Teacher Training Market Review on raising maths attainment for secondary school pupils.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the latest round of initial teacher training accreditation on recruitment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of its Initial Teacher Training Market Review on recruiting more teachers from diverse backgrounds.

Nick Gibb: In the 2019 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, the Department committed to reviewing the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) market, with the aim to make it work more effectively. Following a public consultation in 2021, the Department extended the timeline of implementing the ITT Market Review recommendations by one year, from 2023 to 2024. This allowed more time for existing and prospective ITT providers to make the necessary preparations and ensure stability in ITT recruitment and the supply of teachers. It is now important to bring in the reforms to ensure future trainees benefit from these changes.Quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for children. Reforms to the ITT market will help all trainees across the country receive quality ITT provision and further support at every stage of their teaching career. The reforms are a significant step in the delivery of the Department’s ambitious programme to create a world-class teacher development system.The Department remains committed to supporting the supply of high quality teacher training in all areas of the country. 179 providers have been accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024, following a rigorous accreditation process designed to drive up the quality and consistency of ITT leading to Qualified Teacher Status. These providers cover all regions of the country and include new entrants to the market. The Department will continue to monitor the market and review its implementation measures to ensure that there is sufficient provision of consistently high performing ITT provision driven by demand.The Department has funded recruitment and retention programmes to attract applications to ITT and continually monitors provision levels to ensure that there are enough ITT places to meet teacher recruitment targets. This involves working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure there are sufficient ITT places across the country from the 2024/25 academic year.ITT recruitment targets are calculated using analysis from the Teacher Workforce Model (TWM). The TWM uses different sources to calculate these targets, including data regarding the composition of the teacher workforce and curriculum taught in secondary schools, returner and leaver rates, historic recruitment performance, economic data and forecasts, and the latest data and assumptions on future recruitment and retention of teachers. The TWM considers the cumulative effect of these factors when calculating ITT recruitment targets.The Department has made £181 million available in bursaries and scholarships to attract trainee teachers in high priority subjects for the 2023/24 academic year, a £52 million increase on the current academic year. As graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects attract the highest salaries outside teaching, the Department is offering a £27,000 tax-free bursary and a £29,000 tax-free scholarship in chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics. In addition, a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free annually is available for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools early in their career. This reflects the priority the Department places on training teachers to teach STEM subjects and will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subjects, schools and areas, that need them most. The new Apply for Teacher Training service, rolled out in October 2021, will allow the Department to collect more data, providing greater insight into candidate behaviour and the behaviour of providers of teacher training. This is so the Department can identify barriers and work to address them. The Department will continue to work closely with ITT providers to explore, design and test new interventions to ensure teaching is an inclusive career that is open to candidates from all backgrounds.My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, has set out a new mission to ensure all pupils study mathematics to 18 and leave school better equipped for the jobs of the future. Further details will be set out in due course. The Department is looking closely at the effects on the school and further education workforce and we are clear that the reformed ITT market will provide the high quality training needed for teachers to meet the Prime Minister’s ambition.

Schools: Sports

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the School Sport and Activity Action Plan will be published.

Nick Gibb: I refer the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Nelson to the answer I gave on 19 January 2023 to Question 122259.

Schools: Hate Crime

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) resources and (b) training her Department makes available to schools on addressing misogyny.

Nick Gibb: The statutory guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) emphasises that schools should be aware of issues such as everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and gender stereotypes. Schools should take positive action to build a culture where these are not tolerated, and any occurrences are identified and tackled. The guidance states that schools should make clear that sexual harassment is not acceptable, will never be tolerated, and is not an inevitable part of growing up. The statutory guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.To help schools to teach the RSHE curriculum, the Department published a range of online Teacher Training Modules, covering each of the key subject areas, including Respectful Relationships and Being Safe. The Teacher Training Modules can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health. The Department also funded the delivery of a ‘train the trainer’ and peer support programme to schools from April 2020 to July 2021.

Educational Institutions: Sanitary Products

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which education institutions in Battersea have made at least one order from the free period products scheme.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many education institutions in Battersea have made at least one order from the free period products scheme as of 27 February 2023.

Nick Gibb: Since the launch of the Period Products scheme in January 2020, 97% of secondary schools and 92% of post 16 colleges in England now provide free period products to pupils.The Department publishes statistics regarding the Scheme’s operation, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/period-products-scheme-management-information).This data shows that of the 53 schools and colleges in Wandsworth who have ordered period products from January 2020 - July 2022, 15 of these were in Battersea. These are listed below:Alderbrook Primary SchoolAllfarthing Primary SchoolHoneywell Junior SchoolShaftesbury Park Primary SchoolChrist Church CofE Primary SchoolSt George's CofE Primary SchoolSt Mary's RC Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolSt Francis Xavier Sixth Form CollegeSacred Heart Catholic Primary School, BatterseaSaint John Bosco CollegeWestbridge AcademyHarris Academy BatterseaBelleville Wix AcademyGriffin Primary SchoolARK John Archer Primary AcademyThe Department will publish further management information in the future which will cover the school year from September 2022 until July 2023. All eligible organisations were contacted again in September 2022 to remind them of the scheme.

Teachers: Men

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state-funded secondary schools in England did not have a male teacher in each of the last five years for which school workforce data are available.

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state-funded nursery schools in England did not have a male teacher in each of the last five years for which school workforce data are available.

Nick Gibb: Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers by gender in each school, is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

Ministry of Justice

Anti-social Behaviour: Cleveland

Mr Simon Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there were for antisocial behaviour in Cleveland in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Edward Argar: As part of the Government’s commitment to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB), the Government provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions, convictions and sentencing outcomes for various criminal offences in the following data tool: Outcomes by Offence data tool: June 2022 (July 2017 to June 2022).ASB can encompass a wide variety of behaviour and is not a specific criminal offence but can be prosecuted under a range of different offences.

Crime: Victims

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help support women who are victims of crime while they wait for their case to come to court.

Edward Argar: Supporting victims of crime is a priority for this government. We are recruiting up to 1,000 judges across all jurisdictions in 2022/23 and have removed the limit on sitting days in the Crown Court for the second financial year in a row which will help us to improve waiting times for victims of crime and reduce the backlog. We also recently announced the continued use of 24 Nightingale courtrooms into the 2023/24 financial year.The Government is making sure to support victims when their case reaches court. In September, we fully rolled out pre-recorded cross examination (Section 28) for victims of sexual and modern slavery offences in all Crown Court locations across England and Wales. This special measure allows victims to pre-record evidence, spares them the glare of a live courtroom trial and allows them to give evidence in advance of the trial and then move on with their lives more quickly.Last May, we published our draft Victims Bill, alongside a wider package of measures to improve victims’ experience of the criminal justice system as a whole, including when victims are waiting for their case to come to court. Of particular relevance to victims of gender-based violence will be our measures to introduce a duty on Police and Crime Commissioners, local authorities and Integrated Care Boards to collaborate when commissioning support services for victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and other serious violence, and requiring that statutory guidance is published about the roles of Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs). We will introduce the Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.We know that victim support services are crucial for all victims to rebuild and recover from the impact of crime. That is why we are more than quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41m in 2009/10. We have committed £154 million of this budget per annum on a multi-year basis, for the next three years (2022/23 to 2024/25 inclusive), allowing victim support services to build capacity and strengthen resilience. The funding will allow us to increase the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisers by 300 to over 1,000, a 43% increase over the next three years. Furthermore, in December 2022, we launched a new 24/7 support line for victims of rape and sexual abuse, meaning every victim can now access free, confidential emotional support whenever and wherever they need it.

Reoffenders

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to work with people who are waiting for their case to come to court to help ensure they do not commit crimes.

Edward Argar: We have interpreted this question as referring to court bail. Whether to remand an individual into custody or to grant court bail is solely a matter for the independent judiciary.A grant of bail can either be unconditional or conditional. Any conditions set are imposed by the independent judiciary in order to mitigate risks the individual might pose, including the risk of reoffending while on bail.One such condition could be a residence requirement. Where the individual does not have a suitable address, HMPPS provides temporary accommodation in the form of Approved Premises for high-risk individuals or Community Accommodation Services-2 for medium to low-risk individuals. Other conditions such as a curfew or an exclusion zone may be electronically monitored where this will enable a defendant’s risk to be managed in the community rather than in custody, where appropriate.

Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) charges and (b) prosecutions have been made under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 in each year since 2010.

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted for heritage crimes in each year since 2010.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of defendants prosecuted for offences under the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 (offence code 11606) between 2013 and 2021 across the following data tools:2013-2016: Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool.2017-2021: Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2021.The number of prosecutions for offences under the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 between 2010 and 2012 has been provided in Table 1. The Home Office collects information on charges for the number of offences under the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975. Data is available from April 2015 to September 2022 and has been provided in table 2. Charges are low as police recorded crime collection is largely restricted to indictable and triable either way offences and excludes those prosecuted by other authorities. This is a subset of data (Wildlife crime) released in the quarterly Crime and Outcomes open data tables, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables Heritage crime is not specifically defined in legislation as a criminal offence and therefore is not centrally recorded in the Court Proceedings Database held by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain information on whether an offence was related to heritage assets would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in disproportionate cost to the department. The Home Office does not collect data on the number of charges for this offence. Offences that may be of interest include:09408 - Executing or causing the demolition or alteration or an extension which affects the character of a listed building09409 - Failure to comply with a Listed Building enforcement notice09406 - Contravening tree preservation orderTotal number of charges for offences (xlsx, 22.9KB)

Ministry of Justice: Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has contracted work to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme within the last three years.

Mike Freer: All employers need to pay their staff correctly. Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it’s the law. Under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, employers who have previously broken minimum wage law can be publicly named. The Department for Business and Trade follows a clear and thorough process allowing firms to make representations against being named if they meet our published criteria. The MOJ entered into contracts, during the last 3 years, with 2 companies listed in round 18 of the National Wage Naming Scheme, though only 1 was made after publication of the list and Calor Gas had already taken steps to rectify the issue. The details are: - Calor Gas, contract for the supply of LPG across the MOJ estate from June 2022 to May 2024 following a competition via the relevant Crown Commercial Services Framework. https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/134be1dc-a93f-4fc0-8159-c39aae7a3c2f?origin=SearchResults&p=1 - Centre Circle Event Management Ltd, contract for prison education support at HMP Rochester. This was awarded prior to publication (Jan 21) and has now expired (Feb 22). https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/8ba63863-9e53-4f4d-8553-fcc32a38ea58?origin=SearchResults&p=1 Additionally, Hays joined the Crown Commercial Service Public Sector Recruitment (PSR) framework (Call Off Contract from Public Sector Resourcing (PSR) - Contracts Finder) in 2019, before publication of round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme. For our current suppliers (Calor Gas and Hays) we are working with Crown Commercial Services to ensure that these suppliers are fully compliant and have fully complied with the terms of their framework.

Family Courts: Standards

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the waiting time was for family court hearings to be listed in the latest period for which data is available.

Mike Freer: The information requested is not held centrally. Data on average case duration is contained in the Family Court Statistics Quarterly tables: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1124289/Family_Court_Tables__Jul-Sep_2022_.ods

Ministry of Justice: Aviation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the (a) number and (b) destinations of all domestic flights taken by officials in his Department in each of the last five years.

Mike Freer: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Energy: Meters

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Minister for Energy and Climate's response to the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex during the Urgent Question on Prepayment Meters: Ofgem Decision on 6 February 2023, Official Report, column 672, whether he plans to publish his Department's findings on the root cause of the decision-making on the process for obtaining warrants to forcibly install prepayment meters.

Mike Freer: All warrants for forced entry to install pre-payment meters are made by members of the judiciary under the Rights of Entry (Gas and Electricity Boards) Act 1954 in accordance with rights of entry granted by the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989.Statutory responsibility for issuing guidance to the judiciary is held by the Lord Chief Justice, the Senior President of Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner.As the judiciary are independent, it is not appropriate to comment on judicial matters.

Secure Accommodation: Bristol

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the (a) quality and (b) safety standards of secure accommodation for children from Bristol.

Damian Hinds: Children are placed into the most appropriate establishment to meet their needs, which may not necessarily be the closest to their home area although this is considered as a factor. This means that children from Bristol could be placed into any establishment across the youth secure estate. All establishments within the youth estate are regularly inspected by independent bodies, with reports published on their websites. In England, sites are inspected by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission and Independent Monitoring Boards. In Wales, sites are inspected by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, Estyn, Care Inspectorate Wales and the Independent Monitoring Board. Any concerns raised by the Inspectorates during their visits, including about the quality of provision and the safety of children at the site, are taken very seriously and action is taken to address them. Where an establishment is operated by a private contractor, we will hold them to account.

Probation: Sexual Offences

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Probation Service has spent on programmes for sex offenders in each of the last five years.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in the Probation Service are trained specialists in sexual offending.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Probation Service spent on running specialist sex offender units in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds: Each probation region has a sexual offending unit, the purpose of which is to deliver accredited sexual offending programmes. Therefore, PQ156218 and PQ156220 are asking the same question, as it is the role of those specialist units to deliver the programmes. HMPPS does not disaggregate spend on sexual offending programmes from the overall spend on all its programme delivery therefore we are not able to provide the data requested.In relation to PQ156219, all probation practitioners are trained to assess and address offending behaviour. Responsibility for the risk management and rehabilitation of people convicted of sexual offences is allocated to appropriately trained probation staff.Trainee probation officers receive specialised input on their course in working with this cohort, and we have introduced an advanced training course for relevant experienced staff to help them develop and maintain their skills in their work with those convicted of sexual offences. In addition, 193 probation staff nationally are trained to run the accredited sexual offending programmes.

Secure Accommodation: Bristol

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of demand for secure detention facilities within a reasonable distance of permanent places of residence for children and young people under 18 resident in Bristol.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people under the age of 18 who were usually resident in Bristol were placed in secure accommodation outside Bristol in 2022.

Damian Hinds: In 2022, there was an average of 24 contracted secure places for children and young people at Vinney Green, the only establishment in the Bristol area. In the same period an average of 12.5 places were occupied at Vinney Green.The facility in Bristol is a secure children’s home. Secure children’s homes form one part of the youth secure estate, which also includes young offender institutions and a secure training centre. Placements take account of a range of factors, in addition to closeness to home. In each case, the aim is to place the child or young person in a facility that most suits their needs and is able to manage their risk.In 2022, five children and young people under the supervision of the Bristol Youth Offending Team were remanded to youth detention accommodation or sentenced to custody. This figure relates solely to new admissions. All five were placed outside the Bristol area.Admissions over the last five years are provided in the table below:Number of new admissions (from the Community) from Bristol, 2018 to 2022 Data source: Operational Data 20182019202020212022Other Establishments171816115Vinney Green59030

Parole

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications have been made to the Parole Board to request public parole hearings as of 27 February 2023.

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidelines his Department has in place for the Parole Board for the determination of public parole hearings.

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of processing times for the determination of applications requesting public parole hearings.

Damian Hinds: The Parole Board (Amendment) Rules 2022 Statutory Instrument contains the provisions that enable public parole hearings. Specifically, the rules provide that hearings must be held in private unless it is in the interests of justice that they be held in public. Applications can be made by anyone no later than 12 weeks before a hearing and the decision whether to grant an application rests with the Chair of the Parole Board.I cannot confirm the exact number of applications for public parole hearings because applications are submitted directly to the Parole Board. The department is only made aware of an application when the Parole Board asks for the Secretary of State’s representations in his role as a party to the parole process. The representations enable the Secretary of State to provide his views on the prospect of a public hearing, including the views of any victims.As the decision on whether to hold a public hearing properly sits with the Chair of the Board, the department has not produced any guidelines on the determination of applications, nor have we prescribed any timescales in which decisions should be made. The Parole Board has published extensive guidance on its approach to public hearings on its website: Applying for a Parole review to be public - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Prisoners' Release: Drugs

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve continuity of care for prisoners released while they are undergoing drug treatment services.

Damian Hinds: It is vitally important that all prisoners and prison leavers with a substance dependency continue treatment on release and have access to timely and high-quality drug treatment services to recover from the misuse that drives offending. We work closely with health and justice partners through the Adult National Partnership Agreement published on 23 February 2023, one of the goals of which is support access to, and continuity of care throughout the prison estate and into the community.As part of the Cross-Government Drug Strategy, we are investing up to £120m over the next three-years to keep drugs out of prisons and get offenders off drugs and into recovery. Our work includes focusing on prison “in-reach” by providing prisoners with the opportunity to engage with community treatment pre-release via video calling and recruiting Health and Justice Coordinators in every probation region to improve links between prison and local treatment services, ensuring continuity of care upon release.

Secure Accommodation: Drugs

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of drug-related deaths across the secure estate.

Damian Hinds: Every death in custody is a tragedy, and we continue to do all we can to keep people safe in prison. We are committed to ensuring all those who need drug treatment in prison have access to a full range of treatment options, including abstinence-based interventions, to support a meaningful recovery and thereby reduce drug related deaths.As part of the Cross-Government Drug Strategy, the MoJ is investing up to £120m to tackle drugs and support offenders into treatment. This includes working with NHS England to supply life-saving naloxone medication to staff in prisons, to administer to those who have suffered an opiate overdose.We are also investing in prison security to prevent drugs entering prisons in the first place, recruiting Drug Strategy Leads in all male category C and women's prisons to coordinate a whole system approach to tackling drugs, and rolling out abstinence-based Drug Recovery Wings to help opiate users recover from their substance misuse.

Prisons: Drugs

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he made of the effectiveness of the abstinence-only approaches to drug treatment services in prisons.

Damian Hinds: NHS England is responsible for commissioning substance misuse services in English prisons, and we work closely with them to ensure that all those who need drug treatment in prison have access to a full range of treatment options to support their recovery. That is why we are investing up to £120m to tackle drug misuse and support more offenders into treatment.Different prisoners will benefit from different forms of treatment, and the patient and their clinician will decide what is right for them, in line with clinical guidelines. Opioid substitution treatment, such as methadone, can be an important part of recovery for some offenders – but when they are ready to stop, it is important we put appropriate support in place. We are rolling out up to 18 new, abstinence-only Drug Recovery Wings, to provide a supportive environment for prisoners who are ready for abstinence-based treatment. These wings are a new model of support, and we will evaluate their effectiveness.Alongside this, we are increasing the number of Incentivised Substance Free Living Wings to up to 100, which will continue to support prisoners in all forms of treatment for any substance.

Prisons: Mobile Phones

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the rise of prisoners using mobile phones to record and upload videos to social media platforms.

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to protect minors from engagement with dangerous prisoners on (a) TikTok and (b) other social media platforms.

Damian Hinds: Under national policy prisoners can only access the internet in a supervised environment, and only for rehabilitative purposes. Prisoners cannot access or interact with social media whilst in custody.We have a zero-tolerance approach to illicit mobile phones in prison which some prisoners may use to access social media. Our £100m Security Investment Programme (SIP), aimed at reducing crime in prisons including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs and mobile phones, was completed in March 2022. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners resulting in full coverage across the adult closed male estate. As of October 2022, we had recorded 28,626 positive scans, preventing drugs and mobile phones from entering prisons. The SIP also funded the installation of a variety of detection and other mobile phone technologies across the estate, targeting those prisons presenting the highest risk of harm through illicit mobile phone use.HMPPS’ Digital Media Investigations Unit (DMIU) have the capacity to forensically examine illicit mobile devices, and will investigate reported misuses of social media, working alongside social media sites to identify and stop unlawful activity. Where serious crimes are identified, including offences against children, the matter would be referred to police for consideration. The DMIU has strong working relationships with social media companies, including TikTok, and Meta, and work with them to improve how illegal prison-related content is identified and removed to avoid it impacting on victims, witnesses and members of the public of all ages.Where possession of an illicit device is confirmed, or a direct link is found between a prisoner and social media content, cases may be referred to the police for further investigation and prisons can take further punitive action.

Open Prisons

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure the safety of the general public when prisoners serving their sentence in open prisons are outside of the facility.

Damian Hinds: Only those prisoners who have been assessed as presenting a low risk, including to victims, or have a suitable plan in place to manage identified risks, are allocated to an open prison. Once in open conditions prisoners may apply to be released on temporary licence (ROTL) for specified purposes, generally linked to resettlement.Access to ROTL is not automatic but is subject to a further, rigorous risk assessment. Releases are monitored in line with the assessment and those who breach the strict conditions set may face a return to closed custody.By providing opportunities to work, learn and build family ties, temporary release from prison reduces the chances of reoffending. Evidence shows the vast majority abide by their temporary release conditions, with a compliance rate of over 99%.

Anti-social Behaviour: Community Orders

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle antisocial behaviour through the use of community orders.

Damian Hinds: Community orders are a key part of tackling the most egregious forms of Anti-Social behaviour, for offences that come before the courts.As a requirement of a community sentence, Probation delivered Community Payback is essential in ensuring the public can see justice being done and offenders giving back to the communities they have harmed. It is also key in tackling the visible effects of Anti-Social Behaviour, through the millions of hours of unpaid work that offenders are required to spend clearing up our streets, removing graffiti and fly tipping, and improving our public spaces. This Government is investing up to a further £93million to ramp up the delivery of Community Payback to up to 8million hours a year. We are also working to improve public engagement in Community Payback so communities have a greater voice in shaping delivery in their local areas by legislating to create a statutory duty for Probation to consult key community leaders and organisations on Community Payback priorities in their areas.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Aviation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the (a) number and (b) destinations of all domestic flights taken by officials in his Department in each of the last 5 years.

David Rutley: FCDO's domestic flight numbers are published annually within the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts - FCDO's 2021-22 Annual Report and Accounts from page 86. More detailed data regarding the destinations of all domestic flights taken by officials over the past five years is not published.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1095304/FCDO_Annual_Report_2021_2022_Accessible_290722.pdf

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Disability

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

David Rutley: The FCDO has a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) in place for staff applying for roles on level transfer. Through the FCDO intranet we provide advice for candidates and hiring managers to ensure the process is clear and we monitor its implementation. We do not however currently hold the data on how many colleagues applying under the DCS were (a) invited to interview and (b) secured roles on level transfer within the FCDO in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

Iran: Uranium

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Iran’s reported work on enriching uranium.

David Rutley: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified that, since April 2021, Iran is producing high enriched uranium (HEU). Iran has no civilian justification for enrichment at this level. In November 2022, Iran announced it would take further steps to expand its nuclear programme, including increasing its production of HEU at its underground facility at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.Iran's continued escalation of its nuclear activities threatens international peace and security and undermines the global non-proliferation system. We remain determined that Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon and are considering next steps with our international partners.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Surveillance

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Commonwealth, Foreign and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of how many (a) surveillance devices, (b) CCTV cameras and (c) other security devices used by his Department were manufactured in the People's Republic of China.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent risk assessment of using (a) surveillance and (b) security technology of Chinese origin.

David Rutley: As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not government policy to comment on the security arrangements of government buildings. Specific details regarding the make and model of security systems are withheld on national security grounds.The UK Government has taken robust action to build our domestic resilience and safeguard our national security. We have put in place a range of measures to protect our infrastructure and supply chains, including the National Security and Investment Act. On 24 November, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster laid a Written Ministerial Statement setting out the steps we are taking to cease the deployment of Chinese visual surveillance systems onto sensitive government sites. We will not hesitate to take further action if necessary.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Technology

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Commonwealth, Foreign and Development Affairs, which providers of technology to his Department are of Chinese origin.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any technology providers his Department uses are of Chinese origin.

David Rutley: The UK Government has taken robust action to build our domestic resilience and safeguard our national security. We have put in place a range of measures to protect our infrastructure and supply chains, including the National Security and Investment Act.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department provided to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in (a) 2018 and (b) the previous financial year.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has been a leading donor to the Rohingya response in Bangladesh since 2017, providing £345 million in vital humanitarian support. In financial year 2018/19, the UK provided £63.9 million, and in 2017/18 provided £51.8 million to the Rohingya response. This supported food, water, sanitation, shelter, healthcare and protection services to Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities. The UK will continue to work with the UN and the Government of Bangladesh to provide support to the Rohingya whilst they remain in Bangladesh.

Members: Correspondence

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to the correspondence of 17 August 2020, 9 February 2021, 12 January 2022 and 25 January 2022 from the hon. Member for North Tyneside.

David Rutley: I am grateful to the Honourable member for bringing this matter to my attention. Officials have been in contact with your office and obtained copies. It seems that the correspondence was unfortunately sent to the wrong email address. Officials will work to provide a response.

Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his counterparts in Canada on the potential merits of sanctioning Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We will continue to work closely with international partners, including the US, EU, Canada and Australia, to take robust action to reduce the military's access to revenue, arms and equipment. The UK is committed to targeted sanctions, which directly impact the military without harming the wider population. This will be a key consideration for any future designations. It would be inappropriate to speculate on future targets by either ourselves or our partners.

Bangladesh: Education

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support girls' education in Bangladesh.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is investing up to £54.5 million over the next eight years to improve education outcomes for girls in Bangladesh. We support approximately 360,000 marginalised children, particularly girls, to gain foundational literacy and numeracy. The UK also provides technical assistance to strengthen primary and secondary education. This includes improving students' reading skills, online teacher education, and performance monitoring systems. Approximately 88,250 children who dropped out of school during the pandemic, are receiving catch-up education to complete their primary years. The UK is also one of the largest contributors (15 per cent) to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) fund. Between 2020 and 2023, Bangladesh will receive $79.7 million from GPE.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Health and Safety

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has contracted work to a business that has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive within the last three years.

David Rutley: Details of Government contracts above £10,000, are published on Contracts Finder https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.As detailed in the Procurement Policy Note: Standard Selection Questionnaire https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/558531/PPN_8_16_StandardSQ_Template_v3.pdf the FCDO can use discretionary grounds to exclude an organisation or any of its Directors or Executive Officers where the organisation has been in receipt of enforcement/remedial orders in relation to the Health and Safety Executive (or equivalent body) in the last 3 years.A Public register of convictions by the Health and Safety Executive can be found at https://resources.hse.gov.uk/convictions/.

China: Data Protection

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the speech by US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on disruptive technologies and data collected by the Chinese government at Chatham House on 16 February 2023, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Chinese government on any data it collects on UK nationals from businesses operating across both countries, including BGI Group.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the speech by US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on disruptive technologies and China’s doctrine of civil-military fusion at Chatham House on 16 February 2023, what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) BGI Group and (b) other business operating in both the UK and China on (i) compliance with UK data protection rules and (ii) the sharing of (A) technology and (B) genetic data with the Chinese government.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We continually monitor threats to our data and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary to protect our national security. We expect all firms to fully comply with UK privacy laws. Businesses which do not may be investigated and subject to enforcement action. We have also strengthened measures to prevent the transfer of assets or technology that could pose national security risks. This includes upgrading our export control regime and Military End Use Control and introducing the National Security and Investment Act.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Public Expenditure

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to publish forward-looking budgets by sector for his Department.

David Rutley: The FCDO reports its expenditure by operating segment in accordance with accounting standards. The basis for defining operating segments is consistent with its Director General (DG) areas and as such, these form the operating segments. We will update on planned ODA allocations for this Spending Review period in due course.

Azerbaijan: Overseas Trade

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a policy of trade embargo with Azerbaijan.

Leo Docherty: In the four quarters to the end of Q3 2022, bilateral trade between the UK and Azerbaijan was £1.2 billion. The UK Government remains committed to supporting the development of trade between the UK and Azerbaijan in the coming years and has no plans to consider introducing a trade embargo with Azerbaijan.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funding his Department is providing for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in financial years (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has been a leading donor to the Rohingya response in Bangladesh since 2017, providing £345 million in vital humanitarian support. In 2022-23 to date, the UK has provided £15m to the Rohingya response, providing food, water, sanitation, shelter, healthcare and protection services to Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities. The UK will continue to work with the UN and the Government of Bangladesh to provide support to the Rohingya whilst they remain in Bangladesh. A decision on the 2023-24 allocation is being finalised.

Syria: Refugees

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of refugees who have entered Lebanon as a result of conflict in Syria.

David Rutley: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) provides authoritative assessments on displacement. It estimates there are over 6.6 million Syrian refugees worldwide, of which 5.5 million are hosted in countries near Syria, notably Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. The Lebanese Government estimates there are 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The Lebanese Government instructed UNHCR to suspend the new registration of refugees at the beginning of 2015 and we have urged the Lebanese government to enable refugee registration by UNHCR to resume. Accurate registration of refugees facilitates international support and is in everyone's interest.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Disability

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

David Rutley: 13% of FCDO staff have disabilities, which is line with rates of the UK Economically Active Population. The FCDO has a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) in place for staff applying for roles. Regular analysis of diversity data is conducted to understand the demographics of our workforce and impact of people policies.Between January 2021 and April 2022:· UK positions: 26% of DCS candidates secured interviews, of which 36% were offered a role. This represents 9% applying under the DCS.· Overseas positions: 49% of DCS candidates secured interviews, of which 27% were offered a role. This represents 13% applying under the DCS.Data for financial year 2022/23 is currently being completed. Current analysis does not include specific data on promotions.

Myanmar: Education

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department takes to help ensure that monasteries receiving British aid though the Myanmar Education Consortium do not engage in (a) hate speech and (b) anti-Muslim propaganda.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Monastic education plays an important role in the wider education sector in Myanmar, often reaching children in poor and conflict-affected communities with no alternative schooling. The Myanmar Education Consortium (MEC) has provided system-strengthening support to selected monastic schools. Any schools receiving support must demonstrate a strong commitment to the inclusive values of the MEC.

Conflict Resolution: Women

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason the Government decided not to include Colombia as a priority focus country in its fifth UK Women, Peace and Security, National Action Plan on UN Resolution 1325.

David Rutley: The UK Government is committed to supporting the development of Women, Peace and Security National Action Plans (NAP) across the world. Whilst Colombia is not a NAP focus country, it is a FCDO Human Rights Priority country and a focus country in the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Strategy, through which we are providing support to help Colombia develop its first National Action Plan. This is in addition to our support through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which has provided £74 million since 2015 to support the implementation of the Peace Agreement in Colombia and improve stability and security.

Development Aid: Water

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the UK aid budget is dedicated to the development of water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In 2021 the UK spent £78 million of bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) on water and sanitation, this is equivalent to 1.1% of the overall bilateral budget. This excludes our share of multilateral spend, where there is a significant proportion of spend on water, sanitation and hygiene. We do not have an accurate figure for 2022 spend yet

Development Aid: Drug Resistance and Water

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the reduction in UK aid spending on the (a) development of water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries and (b) spread of antimicrobial resistance in those countries between 2020 and 2021.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Despite reductions in UK aid spending, FCDO continues to support the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector through bilateral and multilateral channels. To maximise our impact, the nature of our support is changing from direct delivery to helping governments strengthen the core systems used to deliver sustainable, resilient and inclusive WASH services at scale. Stronger systems increase access to WASH in health facilities, promoting better hygiene and reducing the risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Additionally, FCDO supports a wide range of activities to control AMR, including drug resistance surveys, surveillance systems, supporting infection prevention and control programmes, funding innovations and promoting good antibiotic stewardship practices.

Somaliland: Violence

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Somaliland on the recent violence in Las Anod; and whether he has taken recent steps to help promote dialogue between clan militias and the authorities in that country.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK has been pressing for an urgent end to the violence in Las Anod. The UK has raised the issue regularly with the Somaliland authorities, including Somaliland President Bihi, alongside other international partners. The UK joined UN statements on 7 and 14 February that urged both sides to prevent further civilian casualties, allow unfettered humanitarian access and engage in dialogue. On 28 February, following discussions in Washington, the UK issued a joint statement with Qatar, Somalia, Turkey, the UAE and the US calling on all parties to de-escalate. We will, with partners, continue to encourage talks between clan elders, and continue to engage all parties involved to try to bring an end to the violence and prevent regional instability.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the capture of territory around the town of Rubaya and (b) other territorial expansion by the M23 armed group on (i) financing for armed groups and (ii) the security and integrity of rare mineral supply chains.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are closely monitoring ongoing territorial advances by armed group M23. It is vital that all parties work together to secure real de-escalation on the ground and an enduring political solution. We urge all parties to honour commitments made during regional political meetings, including the cessation of hostilities and agreed withdrawal by M23. Illicit mining in eastern DRC has historically provided financial support for a range of armed groups with violence often occurring between armed groups over control of artisanal mine sites. We continue to highlight the need for improved governance in the east. To this end, the UK supports initiatives such as the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human rights in DRC, which aim to address security related human rights abuses in the mining sector.

Africa: Visas

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the experiences of officials from African countries seeking to secure visas to travel to the UK.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In July 2022 the then Minister for Africa, the Rt. Hon. Vicky Ford, raised various issues relating to visas for visitors from African countries with Home Office ministers. Since then there continues to be regular high level engagement between officials from the FCDO and Home Office on this matter. FCDO remain committed to support the Home Office in improving the end-to-end journey for all customers interacting with the immigration system.

Syria and Turkey: Humanitarian Aid

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what additional resources his Department plans to use to support humanitarian efforts in Syria and Turkey.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is a committed humanitarian donor globally and responded quickly to the series of devastating earthquakes to provide a combined package of life-saving support to the people of Turkey and Syria totalling £43.3 million. The UK continues to provide support through NGOs, the UN and via the UK-led Aid Fund for Northern Syria. Further assistance will be delivered in the coming days as part of the UN's Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund, to which the UK is one of the most significant donors. As we move out of the emergency response phase, the UK will continue look at what more we can do to support the longer term recovery effort in the two countries.

Syria and Turkey: Humanitarian Aid

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect British humanitarian workers in Syria and Turkey.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We encourage all our humanitarian partners to read FCDO travel advice pages before travelling to the region. The FCDO is in contact with British humanitarian workers in the affected areas, and we stand ready to assist any British nationals who need help. We encourage all partners to provide adequate pre-deployment training and have procedures in place to mitigate risks to staff and operations.

Syria and Turkey: Earthquakes

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing additional aid to Turkey and northern Syria, in the context of the further earthquake on 25 February 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is a committed humanitarian donor globally and responded quickly to the series of devastating earthquakes to provide a combined package of life-saving support to the people of Turkey and Syria totalling £43.3 million. The UK continues to provide support through NGOs, the UN and via the UK-led Aid Fund for Northern Syria. Further assistance will be delivered in the coming days as part of the UN's Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund, to which the UK is one of the most significant donors. As we move out of the emergency response phase, the UK will continue to look at what more we can do to support the longer term recovery effort in the two countries.

East Africa: Development Aid

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help support countries in East Africa with drought; and whether his Department will increase funding to East Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to supporting communities facing severe impacts of the ongoing drought across East Africa. In November 2022, I [Minister Mitchell] visited Somalia and announced new assistance bringing the UK's total support to over £61 million this financial year across humanitarian, health and nutrition programmes. In January 2023, I also announced a £16 million package of support that will reach more than 600,000 people affected by the drastic impacts of drought and conflict across Ethiopia. In Kenya, in response to the drought, 30,500 children received life-saving nutritional assistance because of the UK's support this financial year. This crisis remains a priority for Ministers and the UK will continue to promote long-term resilience to recurrent shocks such as drought and flooding.

East Africa: Humanitarian Aid

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much humanitarian funding his Department plans to allocate to help tackle hunger in (a) Ethiopia, (b) Kenya, (c) Somalia, (d) South Sudan and (e) other parts of East Africa in the 2023-24 financial year.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Final decisions on aid allocations for financial years beyond 22/23 have not yet been made. The FCDO is committed to transparency and we intend to update on planned Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for FY 23/24 in due course.The UK is a sizeable humanitarian donor to East Africa. Since 2019 the UK has allocated more than £1 billion towards humanitarian operations in East Africa, including across Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, helping to reach tens of millions of people with life-saving aid. We remain committed to supporting communities affected by crises and humanitarian support comprises a major component of our ODA budget in the region.

Syria and Turkey: Earthquakes

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support humanitarian efforts in Turkey and Syria following the recent earthquakes.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK responded immediately to provide life-saving support to Turkey and Syria. In Turkey, a UK International Search and Rescue team arrived in Gaziantep on 7 February and commenced operations within the critical 72-hour rescue window. From 14 February, we deployed a world-class UK medical team, field clinic and field hospital to Turkey, which continues to treat patients. In Syria, the UK-aid-funded White Helmets mobilised a major search and rescue effort. The UK has committed a significant package of aid, including by delivering thousands of vital items such as tents and blankets to Turkey and Syria, totalling over 400 tonnes. The Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, now exceeding £100 million, includes £5 million of the UK Aid Match.

Famine: Development Aid

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help prevent famine, including in East Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to addressing the deteriorating food security and malnutrition situation across East Africa and beyond, with the potential for multiple famines in 2023. The UK will provide £156 million of humanitarian support in East Africa this financial year, supporting millions of people with life-saving aid. The UK is also working to raise the profile of this crisis with our international partners and to ensure a robust response from humanitarian and development actors including development banks.

Syria: Refugees

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support available for refugees following earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are closely monitoring events in Turkey and are coordinating with the Turkish authorities, the UN and NGO partners to ensure aid reaches those most in need, including minority communities and refugees in Turkey, and displaced persons in Syria. The UN-brokered agreement to open additional border crossings into northwest Syria for an initial period of three months is crucial to reaching the many displaced there. Even before the 6 February earthquake, the UN assessed 15.3 million Syrians required humanitarian assistance. For this reason, the UK has committed £3.8 billion in humanitarian aid to the Syria crisis since 2012. This includes £2.1 billion to support the over 5.5 million refugees in the region, including 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, and their host communities. The UK remains committed to continuing to provide support for both Turkish host communities and Syrian refugees in response to the sustained pressures they face.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Windsor Framework, published on 27 February 2023, CP 806, whether the green lanes will apply to goods travelling from Wales to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland.

Leo Docherty: We have delivered a new Green Lane which means that goods staying in the UK will be freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties when they move into Northern Ireland. The Green Lane is open to all UK businesses where they import or sell goods that are not ultimately destined for the EU market. This includes goods travelling from Wales to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland using the transit procedure, as the processes otherwise applied for goods imported into the Republic of Ireland are a matter for the Irish Government.

Northern Ireland Government

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 66 of the Windsor Framework, published on 27 February 2023, CP 806, what is included within the appropriate remedial measures.

Leo Docherty: Remedial measures can be taken under international law. Any action the EU took in response to a decision not to add a rule to the Protocol could not involve the blanket removal of market access, for example, and a remedial measure should relate to the rule in question. And of course the UK would be able to challenge any disproportionate response through arbitration.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to he Windsor Framework, published on 27 February 2023, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Framework on time-sensitive exports coming from Northern Ireland, including ready meals, via Holyhead to the south east of England.

Leo Docherty: The Windsor Framework guarantees unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the UK market on a permanent basis. This removes any proposed requirement to provide export declarations, or equivalent information, for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.

Turkey: Earthquakes

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) his Turkish counterpart and (b) the United Nations to help ensure humanitarian access to people affected by the earthquake.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Prime Minister spoke to President Erdogan on 7 February, noting the humanitarian situation over the border in north west Syria, where Turkey plays an important coordinating role. The Foreign Secretary has also engaged with his Turkish counterpart on maximising the efficiency of aid deliveries across the Syrian border.Minister Mitchell spoke to Martin Griffiths (Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations) on 16 February and Lord Ahmad spoke to Muhannad Hadi (UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator) on 8 February to discuss the importance of securing sufficient access from Turkey into north west Syria and we welcomed the UN-brokered agreement to open additional border crossings into north west Syria.Minister Mitchell also visited Turkey on 19 February to see the response first-hand and met with UN agencies, the Disasters Emergency Committee, Care International and the White Helmets. On Friday 24 February, I spoke to Ibrahim Kalin (spokesperson and chief adviser to the Turkish President) about the earthquakes and UK support.

Burkina Faso: Politics and Government

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Burkina Faso.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is closely monitoring events in Burkina Faso including the worsening security and humanitarian situation. Humanitarian needs are very high, with around 2,000 people in northern Burkina Faso now in famine conditions. The UK is committed to supporting stability and development in Burkina Faso and will continue to provide humanitarian aid to those most in need. During a visit to Niger in February, I [Minister Mitchell] announced a new Sahel Regional Fund which will provide urgent life-saving aid and lasting, dignified solutions to people displaced by conflict and violence in hotspots of humanitarian need in the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso. The UK has committed £33 million to this fund up to 2026. The UK is also monitoring the potential spread of conflict in the region which I looked at closely on my visit to Northern Ghana in December 2022 (which included the Forward Operation Base near the border with Burkina Faso).

EU Law: Northern Ireland

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Windsor Framework, published on 27 February 2023, CP 806, which items of EU law will be disapplied following the removal of 1,700 pages of EU law in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 66 of the Windsor Framework, published on 27 February 2023, CP 806, which items of EU law will continue to apply in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Windsor Framework, publish on 27 February 2023, what criteria the Government plan to apply to determined which elements of EU law will be retained in Northern Ireland and which will be disapplied.

Leo Docherty: Only the absolute minimum (less than 3%) of EU law continues to apply in Northern Ireland, to avoid a hard border and maintain Northern Ireland's unique access to the EU market, alongside its unfettered access to the UK internal market. The rules that are disapplied are set out in the legal instruments giving effect to the Windsor Framework.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Windsor Framework, published on 28 February 2033, whether manufacturers and growers in Northern Ireland have to meet EU standards if their goods are only being sent to other parts of the UK and not to the EU.

Leo Docherty: Only the absolute minimum (less than 3%) of EU law continues to apply in Northern Ireland, to avoid a hard border and maintain Northern Ireland's unique access to the EU market, alongside its unfettered access to the UK internal market. Those rules which do apply on goods are applied to goods produced in Northern Ireland. But this reflects what we have heard time and again is the balance businesses want in order to prosper:- Companies producing for their most important market in Great Britain will retain completely unfettered access to the UK market in all scenarios.- There are many areas of goods rules within the scope of the old Protocol where no international or EU standards apply - in retail sectors like jewellery, clothes, homeware, footwear and furniture, covering a quarter of Northern Ireland manufacturers. In those cases UK national rules set the standards for goods on the market in Northern Ireland.- Elsewhere in manufacturing, it is international standards which apply in practice, with commitments from the UK and EU in the TCA to maintain them.- Fourthly, in agrifood, the rules in place reflect longstanding arrangements and integrated supply chains. But through this agreement they now do so within a dual regime - with retail trade into Northern Ireland able to use UK food safety standards and flow smoothly.- This dual regime is also consistent with existing devolution arrangements, which mean it is entirely possible constitutionally to have different standards across the UK. Those differences are accommodated through the market access principle in the UK Internal Market Act 2020, enabling goods made in one market to be sold in another, even if rules differ across the different nations. That principle will be protected and strengthened under this dealThis is a pragmatic form of dual-regulation - resolving real-world barriers, and recognising UK standards in critical areas like agrifood retail trade and medicines supplies; while protecting the market access, and longstanding arrangements, of Northern Ireland producers.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Tourist Attractions: Disability

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that cultural attractions around the UK provide sufficient access for disabled people.

Julia Lopez: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is committed to improving the accessibility of our cultural and heritage attractions across the UK for everyone, regardless of their background.In June 2021 the Government Disability Unit launched an enhanced programme of Disability and Access Ambassadors. As part of this, David Stanley was appointed as the Arts and Culture Disability and Access Ambassador. The Department is working closely with him to improve accessibility to the sector for people with disabilities.DCMS investment has enabled important accessibility upgrades in cultural venues across the country, including via the joint DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, and via infrastructure grants to DCMS-sponsored cultural bodies. Examples include support for level access at the National Gallery, and new lifts, ramps, and signage at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, amongst other projects.DCMS’s arm’s-length body The National Lottery Heritage Fund has a longstanding commitment actively to promote accessibility in heritage through its grant-making. The Heritage Fund invested £950,900 in the Curating for Change placement programme, led by and for disabled people, working with 16 national and local museums to deliver employment opportunities. In 2022 research was undertaken by ‘Vocal Eyes’ to improve digital access and information on cultural sites, to expand engagement with blind and visually impaired people.Arts Councils across the UK are also working together with the British Film Institute to launch a free, UK-wide arts access scheme by early 2024. This scheme will operate across all arts and cultural venues, for seamless, barrier-free booking which is responsive to individual circumstances and needs.

Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla: Choirs

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether participants in the Coronation Choir at Windsor Castle on 7th May 2023 will be required to hold (a) British Citizenship, (b) the right to work in the UK or (c) leave to remain in the UK.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether members of refugee community choirs who are seeking asylum in the UK but have not yet had their applications decided will be permitted to take part in the Coronation Choir at Windsor Castle on 7 May 2023.

Stuart Andrew: On Sunday, 7th May 2023, a special Coronation Concert will take place at Windsor Castle. Produced, staged and broadcast live by the BBC and BBC Studios, the Coronation Concert will bring global music icons and contemporary stars together in celebration of the historic occasion.Alongside the stars of the concert, the show will also see an exclusive appearance from The Coronation Choir. This diverse group will be created by the BBC from the nation’s community choirs and amateur singers from across the United Kingdom, such as Refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf signing choirs.The BBC has not yet taken decisions on exactly which choirs will participate. They still plan to have a refugee choir but all applications need to be assessed in the round.

Gambling Act 2005 Review

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Gambling Review White Paper will be published.

Stuart Andrew: The Gambling Act Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure gambling regulation is fit for the digital age. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.

National Lottery

Maggie Throup: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to the Fourth Report of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee on What next for the National Lottery, HC 154, published on 22 November 2022 .

Stuart Andrew: We are grateful to the DCMS Committee for its wide-ranging report on the future of the National Lottery and the lotteries sector. The Department and the Gambling Commission have now submitted responses to the Committee’s recommendations.

Gambling Commission

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether any Gambling Commissioners have left the Board (a) on expiry of their term of office and (b) through resignation in the last two months.

Stuart Andrew: No Commissioners have left the Gambling Commission in the last two months.

Department for Work and Pensions

Low Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2022 to Question 78760 on Low Pay, when the Government will respond to the Supporting progression out of low pay: a call to action report recommendations.

Guy Opperman: The Government has already responded on 13 December 2022, we published our report.

Jobcentres: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the 30 new job centres added to the Additional Jobcentre Support pilot are in Wales.

Guy Opperman: The pilot rollout started on 27th February (Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament (opens in a new tab). None of the 30 Jobcentres are in Wales.

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement HCWS582 made on 27 February 2023, if he will provide further details of the evidence to support the claim that a claimant’s likelihood of securing employment declines after 13 weeks.

Guy Opperman: The average monthly Into Work rates for those in the UC Intensive Work Search conditionality group with a duration of three months or less was 18.4% compared to 10.3% for those with a duration of four to six months. Notes:Source: UC Management Information and HMRC Real Time Information, February 2022 to January 2023.The Into Work rate is the proportion of UC claimants who enter work each month out of those who in the previous month were not working and in the Intensive Work Search conditionality group.Claimants are measured as moving into work if they leave UC and have earnings in Real Time Information data, or if they remain in UC and have earnings in Real Time Information data or self-declare employed earnings or self-employed work to DWP.Only movements into work for claimants who spend a full month in the Intensive Work Search conditionality group without earnings are included in this measureDuration in Intensive Work Search is measured by the number of consecutive months claimants were in this conditionality group at the end of a UC assessment period.

Question

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that training programmes offered by his Department to people seeking work reflect the skills required by local economies.

Guy Opperman: Jobcentre Plus employer partnership leads work closely with local employers to understand labour market need and with local training providers to ensure provision is available to address skills gaps. This approach is exemplified in our successful Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAPs) which combines work experience, job specific training and a guaranteed interview to support claimants into local vacancies. The benefit of this integrated approach is clear, having achieved over 88,000 SWAPs starts this financial year. Jobcentre Plus leads also engage with national employers to identify regional employment opportunities and will play a key role in the development and implementation of employer representative body led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs). LSIPs will set out local priorities needed to ensure training is more responsive and aligned with the employer view of the skills most needed to support local economic growth and boost productivity and improve employability and progression for learners. LSIP guidance is available online

Social Security Benefits

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unacceptable customer behaviour forms have been completed in each of the last 5 years.

Guy Opperman: Unacceptable Customer Behaviour can arise in writing, telephony or face to face. It includes customer behaviour towards DWP staff in Job centres and Service Centres, behaviour to other customers, or to the claimants themselves. The following table is the number of reported incidents across all DWP service lines: YearTotal reports received (Jan – Dec)201825589201932342202019136202123273202233999Background Incidents may be reported as a result of any interaction: Including Face to Face, Telephony and Written (e.g. UC Journal)

Employment: Young People

Suzanne Webb: To  ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help young people find employment.

Mims Davies: The most recent Official ONS Labour Market Statistics, for the period October to December 2022, show that the current youth employment rate was 54.1%. This is up 3.2% on 2010 figures and 6.6% above the G7 average. This Government remains committed to delivering a comprehensive and tailored package of support for 16–24-year-olds claiming Universal Credit and seeking employment or progression through the DWP Youth Offer. This includes an initial 13 weeks of intensive help through the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches for those with complex barriers to employment and our national network of partner led Youth Hubs. For the young people of Stourbridge, the Dudley Youth Hub is a fundamental part of the support offered. Through this Hub, our work coaches can meet with claimants who have a barrier to employment in an alternative setting that allows them to feel at ease and engage with a range of on-site services. Examples of this include a range of employer and recruitment events, Disability Employment Advisors matching claimants with Disability Confident employers and regular National Career Service pre-employability training.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Justin Madders: What assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's approach to recovering benefit overpayments where there has been no misrepresentation or failure to disclose a material fact.

Tom Pursglove: The department maintains vigorous control of error via its Quality Assurance Framework, which provides an assurance that the necessary quality controls are in place. The findings in the latest National Statistics publication (Financial Year Ending 2022) into Universal Credit (UC) show that UC Official Error overpayments have fallen in each of the last 3 years, from 2.1% of UC expenditure in 2018/19, to 0.7% in 2021/22. Where overpayments do occur, legislation protects all claimants from excessive deductions. In Universal Credit, the overall deduction cap is set at 25% of the standard allowance, having been reduced from 40%. We remain committed to working with anyone struggling with their repayment terms, and encourage them to contact DWP Debt Management to negotiate a reduction.

Employment: Disability

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help disabled people find employment.

Tom Pursglove: There are a range of Government initiatives supporting disabled people, and people with health conditions, to start, stay and succeed in work. These include:Increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres for people with health conditions receiving Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance;Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offering advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work;The Work and Health Programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, providing tailored and personalised support for participants;Access to Work grants towards extra costs of working beyond standard reasonable adjustments;Disability Confident encouraging employers to think differently about disability and health, and to take positive action to address the issues employees face in the workplace;The Information and Advice Service providing better integrated and tailored guidance on supporting and managing health and disability in the workplace; andSupport in partnership between DWP and the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies services, which combines psychological treatment and employment support for people with mental health conditions.

Employment: Menopause

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what date the Menopause Workplace Champion will be appointed.

Mims Davies: I am pleased to confirm today, Helen Tomlinson, has been appointed by DWP as the Governments Menopause Employment Champion. We are committed to ensuring we address any stigma in the workplace associated with menopause and its symptoms - which can vary as well as, the age of women when they experience it. Working positively with employers is vital to ensure they can support, recruit and importantly retain women who are in employment and experiencing menopause and stop women perhaps considering giving up their employment due to the impacts which can occur affecting both confidence and wellbeing. I look forward to working closely with Helen, to achieve our goals of driving workplace change that will help realise the full potential of women, businesses, and the economy by assisting women at any age and career stage to be properly supported and thrive in work.

Employment: Disability

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the level of the disability employment gap.

Tom Pursglove: The latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the disability employment gap was 29.6 percentage points in October to September 2022. This is an increase of 0.6 percentage points on the year and an overall decrease of 4.2 percentage points since the same quarter in 2013. Source: A08: Labour market status of disabled people - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).

Child Maintenance Service and Department for Work and Pensions: Complaints

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints against (a) the Child Maintenance Service and Child Support Agency and (b) her Department were accepted for investigation by the Independent Case Examiner in each year since 2018-19; and how many of those complaints were not investigated for at least 12 months after they were received.

Mims Davies: The table below shows the number of complaints accepted by the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) for each year from 2018-19 and for this year up to 23 February for DWP including Child Maintenance Service (CMS), and for CMS only. To clarify, the number accepted is not the same as the number received by ICE.Year:Number of ICE accepted complaints for DWP* (*which includes CMS)Number of ICE accepted complaints for CMS  2018/199673952019/208213752020/218884502021/2216419592022 YTD1314644To note, this data does not include all cases accepted by ICE, as it also investigates complaints about organisations who deliver contracted DWP services, the Northern Ireland Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division. ICE retains information on individual cases for 18 months from the date of clearance. Of the DWP cases (excluding CMS cases) currently under investigation, 115 waited longer than 12 months from the date of receipt (this is not the same as the date cases were accepted) to the date they were allocated to an investigator. Of the DWP cases (excluding CMS cases) cleared in the last 18 months, 558 had waited more than 12 months from the date of receipt (this is not the same as the date cases were accepted) to the date they were allocated to an investigator. Of the CMS cases currently under investigation, 243 waited longer than 12 months from the date of receipt (this is not the same as the date cases were accepted) to the date they were allocated to an investigator. Of the CMS cases cleared in the last 18 months, 627 had waited more than 12 months from the date of receipt (this is not the same as the date cases were accepted) to the date they were allocated to an investigator. The ICE office is continuously reviewing its own processes and operating model to improve productivity. The office recruited 11 more investigators April – December 2022, and a further 6 joined in January 2023.

Department for Work and Pensions: Publications

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many subscribers there are to Touchbase; how many and what proportion of subscribers work for his Department; and what proportion of his Department's staff subscribe to Touchbase.

Mims Davies: There are currently 15,554 subscribers to Touchbase of which 1,758 are DWP staff, which is 11.3% of the total subscribed.

Poverty

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to provide support to people for (a) food and (b) energy costs.

Mims Davies: Ministers and officials engage extensively across Government to ensure a coordinated approach to supporting people on low incomes and will continue to do so in the future. In April, we are uprating benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount. To further support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023 subject to parliamentary approval, the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW. In addition, for 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, meaning a typical household bill will be around £3,000 per year in Great Britain.The Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. The guidance for Local Authorities for this next iteration has now been published and can be found here: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024: Household Support Fund guidance for county councils and unitary authorities in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion. This support is in addition to that provided in 2022/23, including cost of living payments for people on eligible benefits, the Household Support Fund, the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Key Workers: Long Covid

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit to keyworkers with long covid.

Tom Pursglove: The department is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on changes to the list of occupational diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit can be paid. Their report, ‘COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts’, was published in November 2022 and recommended prescription for health and social care workers with five serious pathological complications following COVID-19 infection. The department is currently carrying out a detailed assessment of the report’s recommendations. Once this work is complete, the department will provide a formal response. IIAC considered that the evidence is not, at present, sufficient to recommend prescription for Long Covid. IIAC will continue to investigate the occupational implications of COVID-19, including any post-infection associations.

Key Workers: Long Covid

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a hardship fund for keyworkers with long covid.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide financial support to keyworkers with long covid.

Tom Pursglove: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues. The DWP already offers financial support through Universal Credit and New Style Employment and Support Allowance for people who are unable to work due to long-Covid, subject to them satisfying the eligibility criteria and contribution conditions. In addition, people with Long-Covid may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment. This support is available regardless of keyworker status. The department is not currently planning to establish a hardship fund for keyworkers with Long-Covid.

Universal Credit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to advertise the Recoverable Hardship Payment repayment waiver scheme to people entitled to it.

Guy Opperman: The Department has placed an advert on Welcome to GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and have also publicised the exercise in Touchbase, an external DWP newsletter circulated to over 13,000 stakeholders.

Universal Credit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications have been received as of 24 February 2023 to waive Recoverable Hardship Payment repayments issued between 1 January 2014 and 11 January 2021.

Guy Opperman: To date we have received one application.

Long Covid: Children

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that children with long covid are (a) assessed for and (b) awarded Disability Living Allowance.

Tom Pursglove: Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is an extra-costs benefit available as a contribution to the extra costs associated with being disabled to those children under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition, have mobility issues and/or have needs which are substantially in excess of a child the same age without the disability or health condition. Entitlement to DLA depends on the effects that severe disability has on a child’s life, and not on a particular disability or diagnosis. The needs arising from Long Covid are assessed in the same way as for all other health conditions or disabilities. From March 2021 we amended DLA statistical classifications to include the category “Coronavirus COVID-19”. Data on the DLA caseload by a range of factors, including main disabling condition, can be extracted from Stat-Xplore - Log in (dwp.gov.uk). Information on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found at Getting Started (dwp.gov.uk).

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement of 27 February 2023 on Additional Jobcentre Support – Pilot rollout, HCWS582, if he will publish further details on how the Additional Jobcentre Support Pilot will be evaluated.

Guy Opperman: The Department will monitor the pilot internally on an ongoing basis.

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement entitled Additional Jobcentre Support: Pilot rollout of 27 February 2023, HCWS582, whether additional funding has been allocated for the Additional Jobcentre Support pilot.

Guy Opperman: No additional funding has currently been allocated.

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement entitled Additional Jobcentre Support: Pilot rollout of 27 February 2023, HCWS582, whether his Department has made an equalities impact assessment of the decision to roll out the additional Jobcentre support pilot to 60 jobcentres.

Guy Opperman: An equality impact assessment was undertaken for the enhanced support element.

Personal Independence Payment: Long Covid

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Personal Independence Payment descriptors for people with long covid.

Tom Pursglove: No such assessment has been made. The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment is a functional assessment that assesses the impact of a person’s disability or health condition, rather than the condition itself. This means that a person with any health condition that has impacts on their functioning, and who meets eligibility criteria, can be assessed and, if they meet the appropriate assessment criteria, an award for PIP can be made. The impacts from Long Covid are assessed in the same way as for all other health conditions or disabilities.

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Written Statement entitled Additional Jobcentre Support: Pilot rollout of 27 February 2023, HCWS582, on what basis the 90 jobcentres involved in the Additional Jobcentre Support pilot were chosen.

Guy Opperman: The jobcentres participating in Additional Jobcentre Support were selected from districts with different labour markets, and a randomised approach was used to allocate jobcentres to the different tests within the pilot.

Universal Credit: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants living in Wales were moved into the Intensive Work Search regime following the most recent increase in the Administrative Earnings Threshold.

Guy Opperman: The information is not yet available.

Personal Independence Payment: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claiming Personal Independence Payments have covid-19 classified as their primary reason for claiming that benefit.

Tom Pursglove: As of March 2021, a new code, ‘Coronavirus Covid 19’, has been added to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) disability coding system in Infectious disease, Viral disease B01-B10 section with other viral diseases. Claimants under ‘Coronavirus Covid 19’ are a group of people who remain unwell at 12 weeks, with a wide variety of symptoms whose long-term prognosis is unknown. These people meet the diagnostic criteria for post Covid-19 syndrome. Some may recover in a few more months, some may recover over a longer time period. Others may remain unwell or become more unwell over time. Fluctuating functional impairment and wide-ranging symptoms that change over time seem to be a feature of the condition. It is those claimants who have significant functional impairment at 12 weeks, who do not seem to be recovering, who may have entitlement to PIP. Claimants do not have to have had a positive test result to be diagnosed with the syndrome. Testing has not always been easily available. Data on PIP applications can be found on Stat-Xplore. In particular, the PIP cases with entitlement dataset allows you to view the number of cases with entitlement split by primary condition. ‘Coronavirus Covid-19’ can be selected by expanding ‘Infectious disease’ then ‘Viral diseases’. Please note that there may be other claimants where the ongoing impact of a Coronavirus infection has influenced the award of PIP. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics. There may be claimants with long Covid who came onto the benefit before March 2021 who are not recorded under the new code.You can log in, or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user, which still gives instant access to the main functions, and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Personal Independence Payment: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people claiming Personal Independence Payments with covid-19 classified as their primary reason for claiming that benefit are awaiting a tribunal hearing.

Tom Pursglove: As of March 2021, a new code, ‘Coronavirus Covid-19’, has been added to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) disability coding system in the Infectious disease, Viral disease B01-B10 section with other viral diseases. Claimants under ‘Coronavirus Covid-19’ are a group of people who remain unwell at 12 weeks, with a wide variety of symptoms whose long-term prognosis is unknown. These people meet the diagnostic criteria for post Covid-19 syndrome. Some may recover in a few more months, some may recover over a longer time period. Others may remain unwell or become more unwell over time. Fluctuating functional impairment and wide-ranging symptoms that change over time seem to be a feature of the condition. It is those claimants who have significant functional impairment at 12 weeks who do not seem to be recovering, who may have entitlement to PIP. Claimants do not have to have had a positive test result to be diagnosed with the syndrome. Testing has not always been easily available. For Personal Independence Payment (PIP) initial decisions made up to 30th June 2022, where ‘Coronavirus Covid-19’ was recorded as a claimant’s primary condition, there were 290 lodged appeals (8% of initial decisions) with no appeal outcome recorded by 30th September 2022. Please note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and percentages to the nearest percent;Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics. Please note that there may be other claimants where the ongoing impact of a Coronavirus infection has influenced the award of PIP. There may be claimants with Coronavirus Covid-19 who came onto the benefit before March 2021 who are not recorded under the new code;We have provided data for England and Wales (excluding Scotland) in line with the latest published figures on PIP;These figures include initial decisions following assessment for PIP (New Claims and Reassessments) up to 30th June 2022, the latest date for which published data is available;These figures include appeal outcomes up to 30th September 2022, the latest date for which published data is available. Note that more appeals could be made and completed after September 2022, so numbers may change as it can take some time for an appeal to be lodged and then cleared after the initial decision;Figures provided include all lodged appeals without a recorded outcome in the latest published data. Some of these appeals may be lapsed by DWP, withdrawn by the claimant, or struck out by the tribunal, so it may not be the case that all will be heard by a tribunal; andA lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged, but before it was heard at a tribunal hearing.

Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2023 to Question 142827 on Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment, for what reasons his Department does not collect information on the causation of a failure to return the AR1 review forms.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2023 to Question 142827 on Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment, whether his Department plans to collect information on the causation of a failure to return the AR1 review forms.

Tom Pursglove: We do not collect information on the causation of a failure to return the AR1 review forms, which then results in a disallowance for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Claimants may decide not to return the AR1 form for many reasons, including that they no longer need PIP. Extensions to complete the AR1 are available if the need is there, and if requested. Only a small proportion of PIP claims are disallowed for non-return of the AR1 form, and safeguards are in place to prevent vulnerable claimants’ claims falling out of payment.

Pensioners: Carers

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a benefit for people over the age of retirement who are caring for relatives and do not qualify for carer's allowance.

Tom Pursglove: Carer’s Allowance aims to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment, in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. For those over the age of retirement, the State Pension is intended to replace income when work ceases. It has been a long-held feature of the UK’s benefit system under successive governments that, where someone is entitled to two benefits for the same contingency, then whilst there may be entitlement to both benefits, only one will be paid to prevent duplicate financial provision for the same need. Where underlying entitlement of Carer’s Allowance occurs (all entitlement conditions are met, but the overlapping benefit rule prevents payment), additional support may be available through Pension Credit, notably including the additional amount payable to carers in Pension Credit. This additional amount is currently £38.85 a week, but will increase to £42.75 a week from April. It is paid to recognise the additional contribution and responsibilities associated with caring and means that lower income pensioners with caring responsibilities can receive more than other lower income recipients of Pension Credit. If a pensioner’s income is above the limit for Pension Credit, he or she may still be able to receive Housing Benefit.

Pension Credit

Anne McLaughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the updated uptake figures for Pension Credit for the period March 2022 to March 2023.

Laura Trott: In March we will publish the Family Resources Survey for 2021/22. Following this, work will begin to assess whether the data can produce new take-up estimates. In line with the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for Statistics I will provide an update at this stage. 2022/23 take up will be published as normal in Autumn 2024.

Employment: Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals (a) were referred to, (b) participated in and (c) had a job outcome from the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme in each of the last five financial years.

Tom Pursglove: Referrals to Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) began in  December 2019. Individuals can be referred to, and start, IPES more than once. The total number or referrals, starts, and outcomes by financial year is provided below:  Year 1:   December 2019 to March 2020Year 2:  April 2020 to March 2021Year 3:  April 2021 to March 2022Year 4:  April 2022 to January 2023*Referrals1,0604,2955,4103,550Starts7802,5903,0202,425Lower threshold outcomes-190990760Higher threshold outcomes-115740725 *Financial year ongoing Please note The data recorded in the IPES dataset does not meet the standards required to be included in the Official Statistics. Please treat all values as guide figures rather than actual figures.No outcomes are recorded against year 1 because of the time lag before outcomes are recorded, and the fact there were only a small number of starts in year 1, all towards the end of the year. IPES provision supports participants for up to 15 months, this means it can take some time before an outcome is achieved, therefore some outcomes shown in later years will be for participants who started the programme in earlier years.Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.The data for higher and lower threshold outcomes includes both employed and self-employed outcomes.Employment outcomes for IPES are paid when participants achieve the minimum thresholds, identified through HMRC Real Time Earnings data, and can be achieved at any point within the 639-day period that they are on programme (456 days support plus 182 days ‘In Work Support’, where required). Therefore, some outcomes in later years will be from people who started in earlier years:Lower threshold Outcome (LTO) - Earnings equivalent to 16 hours per week for 91 days, at the adult rate (age 25 and over) of the National Living Wage, or a cumulative period of not less than 91 days’ self-employment.Higher threshold Outcome (HTO) - Earnings equivalent to 16 hours per week for 182 days, at the adult rate (age 25 and over) of the National Living Wage, or a cumulative period of not less than 182 days’ self-employment.Any self-employed outcomes will have been paid when participants have been trading for the set time periods of 91 (LTO) or 182 (HTO) days and providers have sufficient evidence to confirm that the outcome is valid – these will also be achieved within the same 639-day period.More information on how outcomes are calculated can be found on the Gov.UK website under Intensive Personalised Employment Support provider guidance - Chapter 7.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plants: Imports

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pre-notification submissions were made by UK importers to the IPAFFS system relating to the import of regulated plants and plant products from the EU and Common Veterinary Area, where certification (a) is required at the GB border and (b) remains suspended pending the full implementation of GB border checks in 2022.

Mark Spencer: Defra recorded 4483 pre-notification submissions from UK importers to the CHEDPP (Common Health Entry Document for Plants, Plant Products and Plant propagating material) for plants and plant products. We are unable to break-down data on points a) and b).  2022CHEDPPJan189Feb318Mar520Apr376May326Jun263Jul217Aug246Sep444Oct476Nov655Dec453Total4483

Birds: Animal Welfare

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on reducing bird casualties from wind turbines.

Trudy Harrison: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. Defra is working closely with marine regulators, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, the offshore wind industry and other Government Departments on research and a suite of Offshore Wind Environmental Standards which aim to minimise the impact of offshore wind farms on birds.

Agriculture: Solar Power

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to change the Renewable and Low Carbon Energy guidance to allow development of solar installations on grade 3b agricultural land.

Trudy Harrison: Protecting our environment, backing British farmers and delivering long-term energy security with more renewables is at the heart of HM Government’s manifesto. Best and Most Versatile (BMV) Land is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework and Natural England’s guide to assessing development proposals on agricultural land as land in grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality. Planning Practice Guidance does not mention BMV land but sets out a preference for the use of lower quality agricultural land.

Wildlife: Lighting

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department monitors the impact of artificial light levels on wildlife in (a) Merseyside and (b) the UK.

Trudy Harrison: Our legally binding target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 underlines our ambition to protect wildlife across all areas of the UK, including Merseyside. Artificial light offers valuable benefits for safety and amenity. Defra has funded or co-funded national and international assessments of drivers of change on insects and wider biodiversity such as the global IPBES Assessment Report on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production. This report notes that the effects of artificial light in general on nocturnal insects may be growing. Defra has worked with other government departments to ensure that the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that policies and decisions should limit the impact of light pollution on local amenities, dark landscapes and nature conservation. Our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty have some of the best dark skies across Great Britain and attained some of the earliest designations in Europe. Seven of our parks have secured protected dark sky status and we are committed to conserving and celebrating this wonderful experience for all. HM Government has not made any specific assessment of the impacts of light pollution on insect (or wider wildlife) population trends, but we will continue to work with partners including leading scientists to review the latest studies and ensure we continue to address key threats to biodiversity.

Farmers: Government Assistance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support farmers to (a) improve productivity and (b) support animal health and welfare.

Mark Spencer: There is a huge opportunity for UK agriculture to improve its productivity and support better animal health and welfare. Launched in November 2021 the Farming Investment Fund is helping farmers invest in the equipment, technology and infrastructure they need to drive their businesses forward. To date over £31.5 million worth of funding has been paid out to over 3,000 farmers. We are also enabling more farmers, growers, and agri-food businesses to become involved in agricultural and horticultural R&D through the Farming Innovation Programme. Launched in October 2021, more than £90 million has now been committed. This will drive new innovation and accelerate the adoption of new technologies aimed at improving productivity on farm. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway is central to the government’s manifesto commitment to protect and enhance farm animal health and welfare, and to maintain and build on our existing world-leading standards. This includes a programme of financial support for farmers in the pig, cattle, sheep, and poultry sectors to improve animal health and welfare. The Pathway offers livestock farmers an exciting opportunity to focus on the improvements they would like to make on their own farm.

Poultry: Farms

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support poultry farmers with increased energy costs.

Mark Spencer: The UK poultry sector operates in an open market and the value of poultry commodities is established by those in the supply chain including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. We have already seen supply chains adjusting to address the challenges related to rising input costs, including feed, fuel, fertiliser and energy costs. Since November 2022, the poultry industry has been able to access the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). In January 2023 the Government announced the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) that will replace EBRS when it comes to an end on 31st March 2023. This new scheme will run until 31st March 2024. Following the review of EBRS, beyond the broad baseline support provided for all sectors under EBDS from 1st April 2023, the government will target higher levels of support at the most energy and trade intensive sectors (ETIIs) – which are primarily manufacturing businesses. Poultry meat processing falls within the remit of the Government’s Energy Intensive Industries exemption scheme and will therefore also qualify for the enhanced level of ETII support. Within the context of the wider economy, we do not consider there is a case for further financial support to the poultry sector at this time. We continue to keep the sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments.The UK poultry sector operates in an open market and the value of poultry commodities is established by those in the supply chain including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. We have already seen supply chains adjusting to address the challenges related to rising input costs, including feed, fuel, fertiliser and energy costs.Since November 2022, the poultry industry has been able to access the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). In January 2023 the Government announced the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) that will replace EBRS when it comes to an end on 31st March 2023. This new scheme will run until 31st March 2024.Following the review of EBRS, beyond the broad baseline support provided for all sectors under EBDS from 1st April 2023, the government will target higher levels of support at the most energy and trade intensive sectors (ETIIs) – which are primarily manufacturing businesses. Poultry meat processing falls within the remit of the Government’s Energy Intensive Industries exemption scheme and will therefore also qualify for the enhanced level of ETII support.Within the context of the wider economy, we do not consider there is a case for further financial support to the poultry sector at this time. We continue to keep the sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has contracted work to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme in the last 3 years.

Mark Spencer: All employers need to pay their staff correctly. Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it’s the law. Under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, employers who have previously broken minimum wage law can be publicly named. The Department for Business and Trade follows a clear and thorough process allowing firms to make representations against being named if they meet our published criteria.Details of Defra’s Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Lighting

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with local authorities on monitoring levels of artificial light in (a) Merseyside and (b) the UK.

Rebecca Pow: Defra has not had direct discussions with local authorities in Merseyside or elsewhere about monitoring levels of artificial light.

Eggs: Production

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support to egg producers under Section 1 of the Agriculture Act 2020.

Mark Spencer: The UK egg industry operates in an open market and the value of egg commodities, including the farm gate egg price, is established by those in the supply chain. While the Government may act in exceptional circumstances, we do not set retail food prices nor comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies. Defra does not believe it would be appropriate to intervene in the market by providing specific financial support to egg producers under Section 1 of the Agriculture Act 2020 at this time. Other agricultural sectors have experienced similar challenges related to rising input costs such as energy, feed and fuel. On energy costs, the government has already provided financial support to the agricultural industry via the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. We have also seen supply chains themselves adjusting to address the challenge of rising input costs. I hosted an egg industry roundtable on 6 December 2022. This involved the participation of representatives from across the UK egg supply chain. The roundtable focused on the various challenges that the sector is facing. The meeting was productive with a clear willingness from all parties to address issues affecting the supply chain. We continue to keep the egg sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which was set up by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market across all key agricultural commodities.

Food Supply

Seema Malhotra: To the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will publish a report on UK food security on an annual basis.

Mark Spencer: Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020 the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years.The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. It recognised the contribution made by British farmers to our resilience, and the importance of strong domestic production to our food security. It considered the UK's food supply sources overall, noting that domestic production and diversity of supply are both important to our food security.The next report is due to be published in 2024.We continue to keep the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence.

Dangerous Dogs: Sales

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ban the sale of bully bulldog breeds.

Rebecca Pow: We currently have no plans to ban the sale of these breeds.

Home Office

Migrants: Detainees

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are (a) held in immigration detention and (b) detained under immigration powers in prison.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes statistics on people in immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people in detention at the end of each quarter are in table Det_D02 of the ‘Detention detailed datasets’, where the data can be broken down by current place of detention. The latest data relate to as at the end of December 2022.Data as at the end of March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023.

Asylum: Questionnaires

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with stakeholder groups on proposals to use asylum questionnaires in place of face-to-face interviews.

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the use of questionnaires in place of face to face interviews to assess asylum applications on applicants.

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an equality impact assessment on the proposal to introduce questionnaires in place of face-to-face interviews to assess asylum applications.

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to implement the use of questionnaires in place of face-to-face interviews to assess asylum applications.

Robert Jenrick: On 13 December 2022, the Prime Minister pledged to clear the backlog of the 92,601 initial asylum ‘legacy’ claims. These relate to historical asylum claims made before 28 June 2022. Policy guidance on this was published on 23 February 2023 (Streamlined asylum processing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). Asylum claim questionnaires were sent to legacy claimants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen. These countries have been included in the streamlined asylum process on the basis of their high-grant rate of 95% or higher and over 100 grants in the year-ending September 2022 of protection status (refugee status or humanitarian protection). All asylum seekers will have already undergone a screening interview on arrival, as well as face-to-face security checks in which they will provide biometric information and their identity. Where there is insufficient information or any doubt about the information provided in the questionnaire or a caseworker has further questions including about someone’s nationality, a caseworker should arrange a follow-up asylum interview. The policy is compliant with our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty and an Equality Impact Assessment was drafted as part of the policy development process. We are committed to continue working with stakeholders going forward to improve the asylum system for all.

Asylum: Applications

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum decisions were made per decision maker per week in the first two months of 2023.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum decisions were made per decision maker per week in the last quarter of 2022.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum caseworkers are employed by her Department.

Robert Jenrick: The number of asylum decisions made per decision maker per week (1) in the first two months of 2023 and (2) in the last quarter of 2022 is not routinely published, as it is not held in a reportable format. The Home Office does publish data on monthly productivity levels based on the number of decisions and interviews completed between February 2020-December 2022 which can be found at Asy_05 (M) : Immigration and protection data: Q4 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The same data set also provides information on the number of Asylum caseworking staff. The rise in the number of small boat crossings has placed significant pressures on the asylum system. We take the safety and welfare of those in our care seriously and the Home Office has robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure those in our accommodation are as safe and supported as possible as we seek urgent placements with a local authority. We are taking immediate action to accelerate decision-making. We have already doubled our decision makers over the last 2 years, and we are continuing to recruit more. As part of transforming the asylum system, we are focused on increasing productivity by streamlining, simplifying, and digitising processes to speed up decision making.

Asylum: Children

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers under the age of 18 who were staying in hotels procured by her Department have gone missing since 1 July 2022.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to help ensure that unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors are adequately protected from potential abduction whilst staying in hotels procured by her Department.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of asylum-seeking minors placed in hotels procured by her Department and declared missing in the last 18 months have subsequently been traced.

Robert Jenrick: The rise in the number of small boat crossings has placed significant pressures on local authority care placements for young people. The Home Office takes the wellbeing, welfare and security of children and minors in our care extremely seriously. Robust safeguarding procedures are in place to ensure all children and minors are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with local authorities. The National Transfer scheme (NTS) transferred 3,148 children to local authorities with children’s services between 1 July 2021 and 30 September 2022, which is over four times the number of transfers on the year before. To further expand the scheme, we are providing local authorities with children’s services with an additional £15,000 for every eligible young person they take into their care from a dedicated UASC hotel, or the Reception and Safe Care Service in Kent, by the end of February 2023.When any young person goes missing the ‘missing persons protocol’ is followed and led by our directly engaged social workers. A multi-agency, missing persons protocol is mobilised involving the police and the local authority, who have a shared statutory responsibility to safeguard all children including missing migrant children in order to establish their whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe.The MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed for any looked after child who goes missing from a care setting, including the UASC hotels. The information below sets out numbers of young people who went missing from the hotels housing unaccompanied children:The last 18 months of 01.09.21 – 28.02.23 there were 444 missing episodes and on 253 of these occasions the young person was subsequently located.

Asylum: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2023 to Question 129806 on Asylum: Children, if she will provide an indicative timescale for making an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an inquiry into missing asylum-seeking unaccompanied minors

Robert Jenrick: When a young person goes missing the ‘missing persons protocol’ is followed and led by our directly engaged social workers. The MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed for any looked after child who goes missing from a care setting, including the unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) hotels. When used correctly, similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%. The Home Office and Department for Education (DfE) have established a UASC taskforce which was convened in November 2022 which has been meeting regularly. This multiagency taskforce includes representatives for the Home Office, DfE, Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the Association of Directors if Children’s Services (ACDS) and the Local Government Association (LGA) to consider strategic and tactical solutions to the management of UASC. It is co-chaired by DfE Permanent Secretary, Susan Acland-Hood and Home Office Second Permanent Secretary, Patricia Hayes.The Home Office will continue to address risks of young people going missing and work with partners to locate them if they do.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a family reunion scheme for Afghans on similar terms to the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many family members of Afghans who came to the UK under priority one of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme have arrived in the UK.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for permission to (a) enter and (b) remain in the UK made by family members of Afghan citizens who have arrived in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (i) have been (A) received, (B) granted and (C) refused and (ii) are still awaiting a decision by her Department.

Robert Jenrick: We are unable to provide the data requested for family members of those relocated under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). However, the latest quarterly Immigration Statistics publications show that, as of 23rd February 2023, 11,212 people have been relocated to the UK under the ARAP so far.The Government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. The situation is very complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes eligible immediate family members of those being resettled under both the ARAP and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).The Government’s family reunion policy allows those recognised as refugees or granted humanitarian protection in the UK to sponsor family members, provided they formed part of a family unit prior to the refugee sponsor's departure to seek protection.Those who are not offered resettlement under the ACRS or ARAP will need to apply to come to the UK under our existing economic or family migration rules.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in reference to case MPAM/0487817/22, when people affected will have their case considered under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office notified the main applicant of its decision on 1 March 2023, and will contact them as soon as it has made a decision on the dependant’s application.

Anti-social Behaviour: Crime Prevention

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities in preventing violent crime associated with anti-social behaviour.

Chris Philp: Tackling violent crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) are top government priorities and we are working tirelessly to keep young people, families, and communities safe. We know that involvement in anti-social behaviour can be an early indicator that someone may be more likely to become involved in violence, and so we take a joint approach to these challenges.Estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) showed there were 1.1 million violent offences in the year to September 2022, no significant change compared with the year ending March 2020 and a 38% fall compared with the year ending March 2010.This year the Government has made £130m available to tackle serious violent crime. This includes £64m for Violence Reduction Units (VRUs), set up in the 20 areas worst affected by serious violence, which bring together partners including local authorities, to tackle the drivers in their area. VRUs deliver a range of early interventions and prevention programmes to divert people away from a life of crime. Our £30m ‘Grip’ police enforcement programme operates in the same 20 areas as VRUs and is helping to drive down violence by using highly data-driven process to identify violence hotspots – often to individual street level – and target operational activity in those areas. In the first three years of funded delivery, the Grip and VRU programmes have collectively prevented an estimated 136,000 violence offences.To help combat ASB, we have provided the police, local authorities, and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The Act allows local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on specific circumstances.To further support local authorities, in July 2021 the Beating Crime Plan was published, which laid out the Government’s plan for tacking crime and ASB and committed to working with local agencies and partners to drive down ASB using the full range of powers and tools in the 2014 Act.Lastly, at 31 December 2022, we have recruited 16,753 additional police officers in England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme, 84% of the target of 20,000 officers by March 2023. By the end of March 2023, we will have the highest number of officers on record with over 148,400 in post surpassing the previous peak of 146,030 officers in March 2010.

Passports: Applications

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications were made in the final quarter of (a) 2019, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The number of passport applications received is published quarterly in HM Passport Office’s transparency data. The most recent published data can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-passport-office-data-q4-2022.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applications under the EU settlement scheme that were received before 1 January 2021 are still being processed by her Department.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) in the ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’.The latest published information on EUSS applications received and concluded to 31 December 2022 can be found in the quarterly data at: EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, December 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Migrant Workers: Skilled Workers

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans update the shortage occupation list.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Skilled worker visa: shortage occupations published on 15 February 2022, whether the temporary arrangement to include (a) social care workers, (b) care assistants and (c) home care workers for a period of 12 months has been extended.

Robert Jenrick: As set out in the letter to the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) dated 24 August 2022, the Government does not intend to make any changes to the provision for care workers and there is no expiry date in the Immigration Rules. They will continue to be eligible unless the Government decides to remove them from the Shortage Occupation List in future.

Fraud

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December to Question 108255 on Fraud, what progress her Department has made on producing a strategy on tackling fraud.

Tom Tugendhat: The Fraud Strategy will be published shortly.

Research, Information and Communications Unit

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Research, Information and Communication Unit has been instructed to collect information on (a) sitting MPs, (b) former MPs, (c) political activists and (d) political organisations.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any (a) sitting MPs, (b) former MPs, (c) political activists and (d) political organisations have had their information collected by the Research, Information and Communication Unit since its formation.

Tom Tugendhat: The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) was established in 2007 under the Prevent strand of HMG’s CONTEST strategy. RICU aims to understand and counter terrorist and extremist ideologies to reduce the risk to the UK, its citizens, and its interests overseas.RICU provides analysis on terrorist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter-terrorism system. To support this crucial objective RICU undertakes open-source monitoring to better understand the media, online and communications environment as it relates to terrorism and extremism. This open-source monitoring identifies a range of material that is shared and discussed within these spaces, including topics or media that terrorist and extremist groups are seeking to exploit.All RICU data collection and analysis complies with relevant legislation. Ministers have authorised RICU’s work since it was established in 2007, and through subsequent updates to the CONTEST strategy (in 2011 and 2018) and regularly receive RICU outputs.The work of RICU is crucial to the delivery of Prevent and has helped to position the UK at the forefront of the battle against terrorist propaganda, particularly online terrorist content.Prevent remains a vital tool to divert people from dangerous and poisonous ideologies. We are now implementing all recommendations from the recent Independent Review of Prevent, paving the way for a more transparent, efficient and sustainable programme.

Police: Wandsworth

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have served in the London Borough of Wandsworth in each year since 2000.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area (PFA), on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.These data are collected by PFA only, and lower levels of geography, such as London Boroughs are not collected. Data on the number of police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service as at 31 March each year, from 2007 to 2022, can be found in the ‘Workforce Open Data Table’.Data on the number of police officers prior to 2007 can be found in Table S1 of the data tables accompanying the latest ‘Police Workforce’ statistical bulletin. These data are not broken down by PFA or lower levels of geography.While the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin remains the key measure of the size of the police workforce, as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme, the Home Office publishes a quarterly update on the number of officers (headcount terms only) in England and Wales, also broken down by PFA. Data as at 31 December 2022 are available here: Police Officer uplift statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Forces are operationally independent, and the deployment of officers remains an operational decision for Chief Constables.

Home Office: Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 150516 on Home Office: Minimum Wage, for what reason providing the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Chris Philp: 208 suppliers appear on round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme. We would need to undertake a manual search on our Contract Management System for each one of the individual 208 suppliers.The total cost to carry out this work is estimated at £867 which would exceed the £850 cost threshold. The £867 cost estimate is based on the work taking a total of 35 hours (10 minutes for each of the 208 individual searches) at a hourly rate of £25 per hour.

Public Spaces Protection Orders

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of public spaces protection orders.

Chris Philp: Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are designed to stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in a public space.Several local authorities have imposed PSPOs outside of abortion clinics. Decisions regarding restrictions imposed are for the local authority which is required to consider people’s rights under the European Convention.

Abortion: Clinics

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of public spaces protection orders around abortion clinics.

Chris Philp: Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are designed to stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in a public space.Several local authorities have imposed PSPOs outside of abortion clinics. Decisions regarding restrictions imposed are for the local authority which is required to consider people’s rights under the European Convention.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Afghan citizens who have arrived in the UK since August 2021 have been allocated (a) permanent housing, (b) non-hotel based temporary accommodation and (c) hotel-based accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: We have been working at pace, alongside c.350 local authorities across the UK, to support Afghan families into homes of their own, so that they can settle into their local communities, feel safe and independent and rebuild their lives in the UK.The recent update to the published 'Afghan Resettlement: Operational Data', shows that, as of 23rd February 2023, 8,565 people have moved into a home, and a further 590 people have been matched to a home and are waiting to move in. This does not include families who have made their own accommodation arrangements.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Buildings: Safety

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential of legal challenges to the Government’s proposals to blacklist developers who do not sign up to his Department's building safety remediation contract.

Lee Rowley: In the Building Safety Act 2022, Parliament created a power for the Secretary of State to set up building industry schemes such as the Responsible Actors Scheme (RAS) to secure the safety of people in or about buildings in relation to risks arising from buildings and to improve the standard of buildings, and to place prohibitions on persons who do not join the scheme. The Government will lay regulations to implement such a scheme and prohibitions this Spring. Eligible developers that fail to sign the developer remediation contract and comply with its terms will no longer be able to carry out major development or to secure building control sign-off for buildings under construction.Parliament clearly set out its intent in the Act, and regulations to give the scheme effect will also be scrutinised by Parliament in the usual way. Neither the scheme nor the prohibitions are to 'blacklist' developers. They will hold eligible developers to account for remediating unsafe buildings which they developed or refurbished.

Council Tax: Universal Credit

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he has made an assessment of the potential merits of altering eligibility requirements so that all recipients of Universal Credit can access Council Tax Reduction.

Lee Rowley: Councils are required to have a local council tax support scheme to assist residents in financial need. The design of schemes for persons of working age is the responsibility of councils who are able to take account of local factors including the circumstances of those who receive Universal Credit.

Rents: Reform

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals on rental reform.

Felicity Buchan: As soon as time allows in this parliament.

Rents

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support people with rising rent costs.

Felicity Buchan: Individuals who need help to make their rent payments may be eligible for a range of financial support through the welfare system. The Government has maintained the Local Housing Allowance at its increased rate for 2021/22 and 2022/23. For those most in need, Discretionary Housing Payments are available to help meet a shortfall in housing costs, and the Household Support Fund has been extended to help with the cost of essentials.

Rents: Scotland

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Scottish Government on its rent cap; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending this policy to other parts of the UK.

Felicity Buchan: The department continues to engage regularly with the Scottish Government.   Whilst we recognise the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year, evidence from countries such as Sweden and Germany, and from cities such as San Francisco, suggests rent controls in the private rented sector have unwelcome consequences.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare of 12 December 2022 and 13 January 2023 on behalf of his constituent Wendy Carlyon on a landlord’s petition.

Felicity Buchan: I apologise for the delay in responding to my Hon. Friend's correspondence. The department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from Honourable Members. A response was issued to my Hon Friend on 6 March 2023.

Owner Occupation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2022 to Question 59850 on Mortgages, what the outcome was of his Department's monitoring on levels of home ownership.

Felicity Buchan: Further to the answer of 18 October to Question UIN 59850, the department continues to monitor first-time buyer mortgage transactions and developments in the mortgage market. The Government also operates a range of schemes to support people into homeownership, including First Homes and Shared Ownership, as well as the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, which has now been extended until the end of 2023. The Government also helps first-time buyers save for a deposit through the Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy: ISA.

Camping Sites: Fires

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to allow landowners to operate campsites for 56 days a year under permitted development rules without obtaining full planning permission.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will take steps to publish a consultation on allowing landowners to operate campsites for 56 days a year under permitted development rules without obtaining full planning permission.

Felicity Buchan: Whether or not campfires are allowed in a certain location is not a planning matter. We are currently consulting on the introduction of a new permitted development right to support temporary recreational campsites for up to 60 days per year. The consultation is open until Tuesday 25 April 2023 and further details can be found at the following link.

Towns Fund

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much of the £3.6 billion allocated to the Towns Fund has been spent.

Dehenna Davison: Spend information for all DLUHC grant funded programmes is published annually. The next publication is scheduled for 30 March 2023.

Towns Fund

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to paragraph 2.6 of his Department's guidance entitled Towns Fund: Prospectus published on 1 November 2019, whether there will be a competition for further towns to develop a Town Deal Board, a Town Investment Plan and to agree a Town Deal.

Dehenna Davison: There are no further Town Deal funds available. Any funding that has not been allocated towards successful recipients of either Town Deals or the Future High Streets Fund competition has been used to support delivery that is closely aligned with the outcomes of the fund – including the Levelling Up Fund and Freeports.

Levelling Up Fund

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to announce the timetable for submission of bids for the next stage of levelling up funding.

Dehenna Davison: I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 140117 on 14 February 2023.

Housing: Insulation

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2023 to Question 138005 on Buildings: Insulation, when he plans to introduce the Code of Practice for cladding remediation.

Lee Rowley: We intend to co-develop a Code of Practice for publication by the Summer, working with residents, the housing and construction sectors, and oversight bodies. The Code will set out the impact of remediation works on residents and provide guidance and support for industry on how to take account of residents' needs. The Code of Practice will also make clear to residents what they can expect during the remediation process.

Housing: Safety

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure residents evacuated from residential buildings deemed to be unsafe are given suitable temporary accommodation.

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) Principle Estate Management, (b) Railpen and (c) Grey GR on taking steps to help ensure that residents evacuated from Cardinal Lofts in Ipswich on 20 February 2023 receive suitable temporary accommodation.

Lee Rowley: Building owners are legally responsible for making sure their buildings are safe. Should the residents of an unsafe building need to be evacuated, the Government expects building owners to provide suitable alternative accommodation until residents can return home, at the building owner's expense.Building owners do not have unqualified rights to evacuate their buildings. If a building owner needs to evacuate residents from a building, they must comply with the terms of the lease. If the building owner does not have express rights under the lease to evacuate a building, they must seek consent from the residents for the evacuation and we expect building owners to agree the terms for evacuating with residents before they leave.  Should a building owner unlawfully evacuate a building, residents may be entitled to damages from the building owner. The building owner may also be committing a criminal offence under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. Local authorities also have a legal duty to step in as a last resort and provide alternative accommodation should residents be at risk of becoming homeless.In terms of Cardinal Lofts, the Department is closely monitoring the situation, and I am being kept updated. Officials have held meetings with Railpen (the owner of Grey GR), Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service and Ipswich Borough Council.  Officials have stressed the importance of residents being provided with temporary accommodation that meets their needs and have made clear that the Government expects this accommodation to be provided, at Railpen's expense, until residents can return home safely.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence: Disability

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps to ensure that disabled people are included in the development of (a) policy on and (b) the regulation of artificial intelligence use and development.

Paul Scully: All Government Departments are bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty, as mandated by the Equality Act 2010. Across His Majesty’s Civil Service, Government Departments are also equal opportunities employers. In AI specifically, there are a number of initiatives that ensure the experiences of disabled people inform public policy, including how we consider regulation.The AI Procurement Guidelines published in 2020 recommend that teams within Government procuring AI are diverse and reflect the diversity of society. In terms of implementing AI solutions in public service delivery, the same guidelines also recommend that Equality Impact Assessment be carried out, so that public services work for people regardless of disability status or any other protected characteristic.For the wider economy the Department is now working at pace to develop a proportionate regulatory regime that will make use of our world-class regulators’ expertise, which will be set out in a White Paper to be published soon. Our approach will establish a framework based on a set of cross-cutting principles to inform how regulators should tackle issues such as fairness, which would include discrimination against disability. We had over 130 organisations in industry, regulation and civil society respond to our policy paper call for views. Our AI regulation White Paper will be open to public consultation and we will work to hear a wide-range of perspectives through different activities. We would encourage all civic groups - including and especially those by and for people with disabilities - to respond to the open survey on our proposals.Finally, in order to address the issue of underrepresentation of disabled people in the AI industry, last year we expanded our diversity scholarship programme for postgraduate conversion course Masters courses in AI, which are open to disabled students, alongside encouraging more women, black students, and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to study towards a career in AI. In the 2021 phase, over a quarter of students identified as having a disability. The Government is now working with industry up to cofund 2000 more scholarships, and we would encourage anyone with a disability who meets the academic criteria to apply.

Cars: Manufacturing Industries

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will hold discussions with international car manufacturers about the potential inclusion of TikTok products in cars manufactured in the UK; and if she will make an assessment with her Cabinet colleagues of the potential implications of the inclusion of such products in UK manufactured cars for the (a) privacy and (b) security of individual car users in the UK.

Paul Scully: All companies operating in the UK that process customer data are required to fully comply with our privacy laws (UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA18). Organisations which fail to comply may be investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office and where appropriate subject to enforcement action, including fines.

Manufacturing Industries: Telecommunications

Chi Onwurah: To ask  the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the level of dependency of the manufacturing sector on Chinese companies for cellular internet-of-things modules; and whether she is taking steps to help reduce that dependency.

Paul Scully: The Government is monitoring the security threats unique to cellular internet-of-things modules. We have already taken action to ensure that emerging security threats relating to consumer IoT products can be addressed through the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, and will introduce further security requirements using the powers in this Act as necessitated by the evolving threat landscape.

Broadband: Prices

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with (a) BT and (b) other telecoms providers about promoting social tariffs to providers.

Paul Scully: My department has regular engagement with telecoms suppliers, including BT, on a range of matters relating to affordability, including social tariff promotion.In June 2022, DCMS convened a roundtable with leaders of the UK’s major broadband and mobile operators, agreeing a set of industry commitments to support people through the global rise in the cost of living. This includes a commitment from operators to better promote their low-cost social tariff offers to eligible households.In November 2022, the then Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure, Julia Lopez MP, chaired a roundtable of broadband and mobile sector CEOs as-well-as leaders from consumer groups to discuss further steps to support customers who may be struggling with their monthly bills, including social tariff promotion.In addition, we work closely with a range of providers, including BT, as part of our Help for Households campaign to help amplify messaging about the availability of social tariffs.In January, as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, met with CEOs from broadband and mobile providers to discuss the affordability of services and made clear that they should be doing more to support their customers at this difficult time.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps she has taken to help ensure full and equal access to superfast broadband, particularly in rural areas.

Paul Scully: The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. Across the UK, 97.5% of premises can access a superfast connection (>=30Mbps).We have introduced measures in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 to specifically assist suppliers providing broadband services, such as an increased ability to upgrade and share the existing duct and pole network, and procedures to deal with non-responsive landowners. This follows the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act 2021, which makes it easier for broadband operators to install in multiple dwelling units where the landlord is repeatedly unresponsive to requests for access.To support those on low-incomes to stay connected, the Government has worked closely with suppliers to ensure the provision of low-cost, high-quality fixed social tariffs in the market. These offers are available in 99% of the UK, and many provide superfast connections. Social tariffs are available to those claiming Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits, starting from £12pm.We are also investing £5 billion as part of Project Gigabit to deliver gigabit-capable (1000Mbps) broadband to hard-to-reach areas of the UK. Gigabit-capable coverage currently stands at 74.2% and over £1 billion of public subsidy has already been made available to broadband suppliers to extend gigabit-capable broadband further, to some of the hardest to reach parts of the country.Support is also available for homes and businesses in rural areas through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. The voucher scheme provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 for residents and businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband via local community broadband projects.

Broadcasting

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her Department's negotiating priorities will be on changes to the allocation of spectrum for broadcast services at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023.

Paul Scully: The government has been working with Ofcom, who represent the UK at the World Radiocommunication Conferences, to reiterate our commitment to broadcast implied through the renewal of the digital terrestrial TV multiplex licences until 2034. The UK’s preference at this stage is for ‘no change’ to the international spectrum allocation to broadcast at the 2023 conference.It is important to note that even in the eventuality that a change to the international radio spectrum regulations is made at this WRC, the UK would still have the ability to take its own decisions domestically.

Counter Disinformation Unit

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, for what purpose the Counter Disinformation Unit was formed.

Paul Scully: The Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU) leads the UK government’s operational response to domestic disinformation threats online, ensuring the government takes necessary steps to identify and respond to harmful misinformation and disinformation.

Research: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding her Department plans to provide for (a) research and development, (b) Horizon Europe and (c) EURATOM in each of the next three financial years.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding her Department plans to provide for research and development in each of the next three financial years.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding her Department plans to provide for research and development in 2022-23; and if she will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was allocated a budget of £39.8 billion over this current Spending Review period (2022/23 to 2024/25) for research and development (R&D). The majority of this settlement will transfer to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), while some R&D budget for specific sectoral and net zero programmes will transfer to the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Some details are still being worked through between Departments and with His Majesty’s Treasury. Full financial details will be set out in due course.

Science: Research

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to fund science and innovation to help achieve the Government's global science superpower aims.

George Freeman: As set out in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s (DSIT) 2023 priorities, we will optimise public R&D investment to support areas of relative UK strength and increase the level of private R&D to make our economy the most innovative in the world. This, in part, will be achieved via the largest ever increase in public R&D budget over a Spending Review (SR) period. At the 2022 Autumn Statement, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer recommitted to increasing public expenditure on R&D to £20 billion per annum by 2024/2025.

Horizon Europe

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the consequences for her policies of (a) application rates and (b) funding awarded under the (i) Horizon Europe Guarantee and (ii) package of funding to cover the shortfall in EU funds in (A) 2021 and (B) 2022; and what estimate she has made of what the UK would have (1) paid to participate in Horizon Europe and (2) received back to date; and if she will publish that assessment and that estimate.

George Freeman: By 31st January 2023, the UK Government’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Scheme had issued grants worth up to £750m to 1,548 successful applicants. The scheme is demand-driven, reflecting the success rate of UK applicants to the Horizon Europe programme. The UK remains first for successful proposals to Horizon Europe’s European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) schemes, maintaining our Horizon 2020 position. On 21st November 2022, an additional £484m of funding was announced to support the UK’s R&D sector and bolster talent and investment in R&D infrastructure while delays to association continue. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement covers the UK’s terms of participation in Horizon Europe.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Disability

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

George Freeman: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was created following Machinery of Government changes announced on 7th February 2023 so we are not able to provide the requested data for 2021 and 2022. It is standard practice within the Civil Service to operate the Disability Confident Scheme for candidates and the Department plans to continue this in future.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Aviation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish the (a) number and (b) destinations of all domestic flights taken by officials in her Department in each of the last 5 years.

George Freeman: The Department was established on 7 February 2023. As a result, there has been no decision yet whether we will publish the (a) number and (b) destinations of all domestic flights taken by officials in his Department in each of the last 5 years.

Intellectual Property Office and Met Office: Consultants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 148569, on Department for Business and Trade: Consultants, what the cost to the public purse of spending on external consultants by (a) the Intellectual Property Office and (b) the Met Office was in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022; and whether any of that spending related to the preparation of funding bids to (A) her predecessor Departments and (B) HM Treasury.

George Freeman: The expenditure on external consultants by The Met Office and the Intellectual Property Office is provided below. In line with the Cabinet Office’s control framework for consultancy and professional services, these figures include some expenditure on professional services for the purposes of delivery or implementation to fill skills gaps, not just advisory work.Figures for The Met OfficeYearTotal Consultancy ExpenditureExpenditure on preparation of funding bids2020£758,000£02021£50,000£02022£306,000£0Figures for Intellectual Property OfficeYearTotal Consultancy ExpenditureExpenditure on preparation of funding bids2020£0£02021£29,000£02022£198,000£0

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Disability

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

George Freeman: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was created following Machinery of Government changes announced on 7th February 2023 so we are not able to provide the requested data for 2021 and 2022. It is standard practice within the Civil Service to operate the Disability Confident Scheme for candidates and the department plans to continue this in future.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has a Ministerial disability champion.

George Freeman: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not currently have a Ministerial disability champion.

Broadband: Tooting

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an estimate of the number of households in Tooting constituency with superfast broadband.

Paul Scully: According to the latest data available from the ThinkBroadband website, 99.6% of premises in Tooting had access to superfast broadband in February 2023. This is higher than the national average of 97.4%. Gigabit-capable broadband is available at 93% premises in the constituency, which is also higher than the national average of 74%. Coverage has risen from just 10% two years ago.

Department for Business and Trade

Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, who her Department has met with regarding the ongoing industrial dispute in Royal Mail in the last six months.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with members of the Royal Mail board in each of the last six months.

Kevin Hollinrake: The industrial relations dispute is a matter for Royal Mail, as a private company, and the Communication Workers Union to resolve. As Minister responsible for postal services policy, I have discussed a range of issues relating to Royal Mail’s role as universal postal service provider with the Chair of International Distributions Services and the Chief Executive of Royal Mail within the last six months.

Electric Vehicles: Minerals

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will hold discussions with representatives of businesses in the supply chains for the manufacture of electric vehicles on the proportion of their raw materials that come from recycled critical minerals.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: We are committed to supporting the development of an internationally competitive supply chain in the UK through mechanisms such as the Automotive Transformation Fund.The Government routinely consults with stakeholders on matters relevant to the industry, including via the Automotive Council.In July 2022, the Government published the UK’s first ever Critical Minerals Strategy that aims to improve the security of supply of critical minerals.As part of the commitment to improve critical mineral supply chain resilience, the Government will explore regulatory interventions to promote re-use, recycling, and recovery of critical minerals.

Royal Mail: Cybercrime

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with Royal Mail on taking steps to keep customers informed following disruption caused by the cyber attack on that company

Kevin Hollinrake: Royal Mail’s approach to informing customers of service disruptions is an operational matter for Royal Mail as a private business. I understand that Royal Mail had provided updates to its customers on the resumption of services through its international incident bulletin, published on its website: www.royalmail.com/international-incident-bulletin.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department taking to decarbonise supply chains to the automotive and electric vehicle sector.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government has put in place a comprehensive R&D and capital investment programme to support the UK automotive sectors successful transition to electric vehicles.We have jointly committed with industry, more than £1.3 billion through the Advanced Propulsion Centre, to accelerate the commercialisation of strategically important vehicle technologies.In 2021, the Net Zero Strategy announced £350m of funding for the Automotive Transformation Fund. This funding is additional to the £500m announced in 2020 as part of the 10 Point Plan and is key to the UK building an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain.The automotive sector is also benefiting from £541m funding from the UKRI cross-sector Faraday Battery Challenge and £80m from the Driving the Electric Revolution programmes, which is focussed on electric motors, drives and power electronics.

Employment: Long Covid

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has had recent discussions with employers on taking steps to offer (a) part-time work and (b) other flexibility to people with long covid.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department speaks regularly with employers and business representative organisations about flexible working. These discussions have covered a range of issues, including the importance of flexible working in managing employees with long term health conditions, such as long covid.In December 2022 the Government announced plans[1] to make the right to request flexible working a day one right, alongside other changes to make flexible working more accessible to all employees. The Government is pleased to support the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Private Members’ Bill[2] which will deliver several of these changes. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-flexible-working-the-default[2] https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3198

Redundancy

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many employers have notified the Redundancy Payments Service of planned redundancies in the last 12 months.

Kevin Hollinrake: Employers are required by law to notify the Secretary of State, in practice the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service (RPS),of any proposal to dismiss 20 or more employees as redundant at one establishment within a period of 90 days or less. This advanced notification is normally via the ‘HR1’ form.For the period 1 February 2022 to 31 January 2023, RPS received HR1s from 2,376 employers.The Insolvency Service publishes figures regarding advanced notification of redundancy at the following link: advanced notification.

Trade Promotion: South Africa

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for South Africa was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Panama was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Jordan was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Azerbaijan was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Ghana was appointed; and how many times they have visited that country since their appointment.

Nigel Huddleston: The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys support the UK Government’s overall strategy to drive economic growth, promote UK trade and encourage inward investment. In addition to visiting their respective markets, Trade Envoys undertake a variety of activities including meeting UK companies, hosting inward delegations, and speaking engagements. Due to travel restrictions arising from the Coronavirus Pandemic many visits to markets were disrupted and Trade Envoys had to work virtually or through other means, strengthening the relationships to support the Government’s trade and investment agenda.Trade EnvoyCountryAppointment DateNumber of VisitsAndrew SelousSouth AfricaSeptember 20174Baroness HooperPanamaOctober 20201Baroness MorrisJordanNovember 20123Baroness NicholsonAzerbaijanApril 20169Baroness HoeyGhanaAugust 20212

Electric Vehicles: Batteries

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for the difference in the number of gigafactories in (a) the UK and (b) Germany.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the UK's position in global battery manufacturing.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it her policy to support and fund the construction of 3 gigafactories in the UK.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government supports an industry-led transition to Net Zero and it continues to work with global investors via the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to unlock private investment to build an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain.Securing gigafactories is a priority. The Faraday Institution has estimated that UK demand for batteries is expected to reach around 100 GWh per annum by 2030. The ATF has already helped secure a gigafactory investment in the UK, including Envision AESC’s £450m investment in July 2022 to create a gigafactory in Sunderland. The ATF will place the UK at the forefront of the transition to zero emission vehicles.

Electric Vehicles: Employment

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an estimate of the number of jobs supported (a) directly by and (b) in the supply chain for the production of electric vehicles.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The automotive manufacturing sector accounted for 166,000 direct jobs and estimated to support an additional 371,000 indirect jobs elsewhere in the economy in 2021. ONS Employee Jobs data does not separately report employment by propulsion-type of car manufactured.

Electric Vehicles: Exports

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of UK produced electric vehicles which were exported in (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2018, (d) 2019, (e) 2020, (f) 2021 and (g) 2022.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: This information is not held centrally. The Government supports an industry-led transition to Net Zero. We continue to work with industry to unlock private investment in new plants and supply chains, so that the UK remains one of the best locations in the world for automotive manufacturing as we transition to electric vehicles.

British Shipbuilders: Pensions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many former employees of British Shipbuilders who worked at the Cammell Laird shipyard receive a pension from British Shipbuilders; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many (a) descendants and (b) other close family relatives of former employees of the Cammell Laird shipyard were receiving a pension from British Shipbuilders in the last year; and if she will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many former employees of British Shipbuilders Ltd who contributed to the pension scheme are not receiving a pension; and if she will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27th February 2023, UIN 146756.

Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to publish a consultation on the introduction of legislation requiring the production of zero emission vehicles.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government supports an industry-led transition to Net Zero. We continue to work with industry to unlock private investment in new plants and supply chains, so that the UK remains one of the best locations in the world for automotive manufacturing as we transition to electric vehicles.

Energy: Investment

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to help mitigate the impact of the US Inflation Reduction Act on UK businesses.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK recognises the important step the US has taken to support the transition to net zero. The Government is committed to ensuring that British business can benefit from the flexibilities available in the implementation of the US Inflation Reduction Act where possible.My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade has had constructive conversations with the US administration, and she was clear we expect action from the US to address this.We continue to engage with the US across multiple channels and remain committed to robustly defending the interests of UK industry affected by the policies.

UK Tradeshow Programme

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the (a) awareness of and (b) satisfaction with the UK Tradeshow Programme among small and medium-sized enterprises.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK Tradeshow Programme was established in November 2021 as a pilot alongside the launch of the 2021 Export Strategy “Made in the UK, Sold to the World”. An assessment of the programme’s feasibility and research to evaluate its delivery are ongoing. In the latest midyear National Survey of Registered Businesses statistics, 24% of all surveyed businesses with viable exporting products were aware of the programme. This figure is based on responses between February-June 2022, and is a smaller sample size than the yearly survey publication.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dit-national-survey-of-registered-businesses-exporting-behaviours-attitudes-and-needs-mid-year-tables-2022  As outlined in our 2021 Export Strategy, the Department is committed to continuous monitoring and improvement of our performance in improving exporting opportunities.

Department for International Trade: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the transparency data entitled DIT's ePCS spending over £500 for October 2022, published on 24 February 2023, for what reason £620 was spent on a restaurant on 9 October 2022.

Nigel Huddleston: This was the charge for a group meal for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) negotiations team, who were travelling for negotiations. The charge does not include any alcohol and was within the recommended Departmental spending limit.

Department for International Trade: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the transparency data entitled DIT's ePCS spending over £500 for October 2022, published on 24 February 2023, for what reason £1,326 was spent on a restaurant on 10 October 2022.

Nigel Huddleston: This spend was on catering for an official reception during the third round of CPTPP negotiations. Negotiators from all CPTPP members attending the negotiations in-person were invited. There were approximately 60 guests.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Meters

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on potential regulatory enforcement action for companies that do not enable Total Heating Total Control customers to change metering systems.

Graham Stuart: The smart metering system has been designed to enable a wide range of tariffs, independently of the Radio Teleswitch Service, which Total Heating Total Control tariffs rely on. Energy suppliers are obligated under their licence conditions to taking all reasonable steps to install a smart meter where a meter is fitted for the first time or when an existing meter needs replacing. The regulator Ofgem is responsible for ensuring energy suppliers comply with their regulatory obligations and take any necessary enforcement action. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero works closely with Ofgem on monitoring supplier performance.

Manufacturing Industries: Electric Vehicles

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support companies that produce electric vehicles with increases in energy bills.

Amanda Solloway: The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills to ensure that eligible businesses, including manufacturers of electric vehicles, who receive their energy from licensed suppliers, are protected from high energy costs over winter. The Government recognises that some energy and trade intensive businesses are particularly exposed to energy cost increases and are less able to pass these costs through to their customers such. This is why we have decided to provide a more generous level of support to certain energy and trade intensive businesses for a further year starting from April 2023.

Fuel Poverty: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) reducing or (b) removing the standing charge on energy bills on levels of fuel poverty in Wales.

Amanda Solloway: While fuel poverty is a devolved matter, it is an issue that this Government takes very seriously. The standing charge is a fixed charge that suppliers pass on to their customers to cover the cost of providing a live supply and decisions about standing charges are a commercial matter for energy suppliers subject to the maximum permitted under the price cap.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of (a) the completeness of postcode data supplied to energy companies for administrating the Domestic Alternative Fuel Payment Scheme, (b) whether postcodes SY23 4UA and 4UB were included in that data and (c) the effectiveness of the scheme in ensuring that all eligible households have received payments.

Amanda Solloway: To minimise the number of electrically heated homes which may be paid the Alternative Fuel Payment, Government has filtered households based on if their local area predominantly uses electricity for heating. It is right that Government ensures value for money for the taxpayer. This means that households in these areas which do use alternative fuels will not receive the payment automatically but are still eligible to apply through the Alternative Fund. Xoserve published data showing which postcodes are off the gas grid: https://www.xoserve.com/media/fadn4tnc/off-gas-live-postcodes-2022.xlsx?term=Off-gas. Neither postcode referenced is in this data set.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Alternative Fuel Payment portal will be open for applications.

Amanda Solloway: The Alternative Fuel Payment Portal due to open for applications from Monday 6 March.

Energy Bills Rebate: Meters

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how unclaimed Energy Bill Support Scheme vouchers will be used.

Amanda Solloway: Customers in Great Britain have been widely urged to redeem their vouchers promptly. Latest figures published in February indicate 76% have been redeemed. Expired vouchers can be reissued by the supplier but all must be redeemed by 30 June 2023. After the scheme closes on 30 June 2023, unspent funds must be returned to the Department. The electricity suppliers will not profit from vouchers being unredeemed.

Energy Bills Rebate: Meters

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has had recent discussions with energy suppliers on (a) the proportion of Energy Bill Support Scheme vouchers that have not been claimed and (b) legislative proposals to help ensure that customers receive their full entitlement to those vouchers.

Amanda Solloway: The Department has been engaging with suppliers regularly since the beginning of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) to improve uptake of traditional prepayment meter vouchers and the latest figures published in February indicate in the first four months of the scheme 76% of issued vouchers were redeemed. The EBSS GB is implemented by licence modifications to suppliers’ standard licence conditions underpinned by a Secretary of State direction on EBSS provision and delivery under section 7(3) of the Electricity Act 1989. Suppliers must deliver the EBSS discount to all eligible customers with any instances of non-delivery by exception only.

Energy: Hospices

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the impact of the cost of energy on the financial viability of hospices.

Amanda Solloway: Discussions have taken place and will continue to take place with a number of charities and businesses regarding increased energy costs, and Government is fully aware of the impact this is having on the hospice sector. This is why the Energy Bill Relief Scheme was introduced, shielding eligible non-domestic customers from soaring energy prices. Following a HMT-led review, the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, will run from April until March 2024, and will continue to provide a discount to eligible non- domestic customers, including the hospice sector.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Fraud

Pat McFadden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the total cost of fraud and error to government departments in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jeremy Quin: The Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA), established in August 2022, works with government departments and public bodies to understand and reduce the impact of fraud and error against the public sector. In line with the PSFA Mandate public bodies are required to report identified fraud and error loss figures to the PSFA.The most up to date estimate used by the PSFA, relating to financial year 20/21 suggests that the annual level of fraud and error against the government is between £33bn and £55bn. This estimate excludes fraud and error within COVID-19 schemes as fraud measurement activity within these schemes is still ongoing.The new Government Counter Fraud Profession Strategy sets out how the government is increasing the capability of staff within government and beyond to tackle fraud.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Stephen Farry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason complaints about Government departments and other public organisations must be referred to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman by a Member of Parliament.

Jeremy Quin: The statutory requirement for complaints to be made to a Member of the House of Commons is longstanding and is consistent with the Ombudsman’s accountability to Parliament.

Key Workers: Long Covid

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will take steps to record data on the number of keyworkers who have (a) been affected, (b) taken early retirement, (c) lost their jobs and (d) become reliant on benefits due to long covid.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 24 February is attached. UKSA Response to PQ 152238 (pdf, 106.7KB)

Cabinet Office: Communication

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he publish the following documents referencing the hon. Member for Christchurch: (a) Covid Comms: Afternoon Note - 25th September, (b) Fwd: Checking receipt - Priorities for tackling fake news and improving media literacy - Morning, Tuesday 8th February 2022, (c) Covid: Morning Update - Wednesday 1 December 2021 and (d) Re: No10 Xmas party - RRU analysis; for what reason those documents were created; and if he will place a copy of them in the Library.

Alex Burghart: Cabinet Office officials are working to collate the necessary information to answer this question. I will write to the hon. Member shortly, and a copy of this letter will be deposited in the House Libraries.Please note that any release of documentation will be subject to classification.

Treasury

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the viability of pubs of the increased rates of alcohol duty after August 2023.

James Cartlidge: The Government is unable to speculate on the content of the Spring Budget, which takes place on 15 March. Since the beer duty escalator ended in 2012, the beer and pub industry have benefitted from beer duty being cut or frozen for 10 out the last 11 fiscal events. In addition to this, on 19 December the Government extended the current alcohol duty freeze by six months to align with the implementation of the alcohol duty reforms and reduce the impact of the duty changes on businesses. Beer duty is now at its lowest level in real terms since the 1990s. Further, as previously announced, from 1 August 2023 we will be introducing a new Draught Relief and an improved Small Producer Relief, as well as providing a much lower duty rate for low strength beers up to 3.4% ABV. Eligible pubs will also benefit from 75% business rates relief up to a cap of £110,000 per business in 2023-24, and further energy support until April 2024.

EURATOM and Horizon Europe: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Supplementary Estimates 2022-23 published by his Department on 21 February 2023, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the unused funding for (a) Horizon and (b) Euratom on the Government's policies on support for research projects.

John Glen: The Government is committed to ensuring the UK is a Science Superpower. This is why, despite the challenging fiscal circumstances, the Chancellor recommitted at Autumn Statement 2022 to increase R&D spending to £20 billion in 24/25, a 30% cash increase from 2021/22 (the largest ever increase over a Spending Review period). At Spending Review 2021, the Government set aside funding for the cost of associating to EU R&D programmes as agreed in the December 2020 Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). While the UK’s association has been delayed, our priority has been to support the R&D sector; this is why we introduced the Horizon Guarantee as well as £684m of additional support for the R&D, fusion and Earth observation sectors. As is usual practice, departmental underspends are returned to the Exchequer at Supplementary Estimates.

Products: Taxation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the soft drinks industry levy, if he will take steps to place levies on other potentially harmful consumer products.

James Cartlidge: The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) has been successful at encouraging the reformulation of soft drinks, with over half of all drinks that would have otherwise been in scope reducing their sugar content. The Government keeps all taxes under constant review and welcomes representations from stakeholders to inform policy development. The Government remains committed to helping people live healthier lives. Having a fit and healthy population is essential for a thriving economy and addressing obesity remains a priority for the Government.

Licensed Premises: Government Assistance

David Warburton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will include additional support for (a) pubs, (b) social clubs, (c) breweries and (d) cider producers in the Spring Budget.

James Cartlidge: The Government is unable to speculate on the content of the Spring Budget, which takes place on 15 March. As announced on 19 December, any changes to alcohol duty announced at Spring Budget 2023 will not take effect until 1 August 2023. This is to align with the date historic reforms for the alcohol duty system come in and amounts to an effective six month extension to the current duty freeze. The alcohol duty reforms will include a new Draught Relief which will cut the level of duty on draught products sold in the on trade (i.e., pubs, social clubs), and a new Small Producer Relief will for the first time give craft cidermakers reduced rates as they grow their business. This will replace the existing Small Brewers Relief scheme, which has been reformed to remove cliff-edges and give craft brewers relief on their lower ABV beers too.  The final design of the reforms will be published at Spring Budget.

Roads: Freight

David Warburton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will include additional support to the road haulage industry for fuel costs in the Spring Budget.

James Cartlidge: At Spring Statement 2022, in response to high fuel prices, the Government introduced a temporary 12-month cut to duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre. This represents a tax cut worth around £2.4 billion in 2022-23, benefiting anyone who consumes fuel across the UK – including the road haulage sector. Compared to uprating fuel duty in 2022-23, cutting fuel duty to this level saves the average UK haulier over £1,500, based on average fuel consumption. All taxes remain under review and the Chancellor will confirm policy in the Budget in the Spring, as was the case in previous years.

Excise Duties

Ben Bradley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of indexing excise duties, including alcohol, tobacco and fuel duties, by average earnings rather than retail pricing.

James Cartlidge: As with all taxes, the Government keeps excise duties under constant review and welcomes representations from stakeholders to inform policy development.

Government Securities

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of UK gilts are held by (a) foreign central banks and (b) banks located in the People's Republic of China as of 27 February 2023.

Andrew Griffith: The gilt market is deep and liquid and is supported by a generally well-diversified investor base, including domestic and foreign investors. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on the broad breakdowns of the underlying owners of UK government debt as part of the UK Economic Accounts, published quarterly. The ONS, however, does not provide a domicile breakdown of where UK debt is held overseas, so it is not possible to observe the specific amount of gilt holdings by sub-groups of overseas investors. The latest available ONS data can be found here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/uksectoraccounts/datasets/unitedkingdomeconomicaccountssectorgeneralgovernment. More generally, gilts are largely held in nominee accounts and holdings of underlying beneficial owners are therefore not identifiable.

Bank Services: Ukraine

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure access to banking services for Ukrainian refugees.

Andrew Griffith: The Government believes that it is vital that everyone, including Ukrainian refugees, can access the banking services they need. That’s why the nine largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer fee-free basic bank accounts to customers who are “unbanked”, so people can manage their money on a day-to-day basis effectively, securely, and confidently. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Government worked closely with banks and building societies to ensure that Ukrainian nationals were able to quickly and easily open bank accounts. The Government also ensured that Money Helper, a service set up by the Government to provide free and impartial information and advice on money matters, had clear instructions in Ukrainian and Russian on how to open a UK bank account. According to the latest data from UK Finance, over 70,000 Ukrainian people in the UK have opened a basic bank account.

International Monetary System

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of on-lending 50 per cent of the UK’s most recent allocation of Special Drawing Rights, through IMF established re-channelling vehicles, on his annual fiscal policies.

Andrew Griffith: The UK is a leading global advocate of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) channelling, and has committed to an ambitious channelling envelope of 4bn from the SDRs received through the 2021 General Allocation, which took place under the UK’s G7 Presidency. Within this SDR 4bn, the government has already committed 3.5bn SDRs to IMF lending instruments, namely the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust and the Resilience and Sustainability Trust. The UK’s pledge to re-channel 20% of new SDRs is in accordance with the principle of fair burden sharing across all countries with strong external positions and has been pivotal in mobilising further commitments. The UK’s SDRs are held as part of the Government’s reserves in the Exchange Equalisation Account (EEA). Reserves in the EEA have clearly defined functions as set out in the EEA Act 1979, and the government considers the current size of the reserves appropriate to meeting these.

Exports: Australia

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which five UK companies exported the largest value of goods to Australia in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of goods exported to Australia did they each contribute.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC has a statutory duty of taxpayer confidentiality and cannot comment on the affairs of individual businesses. Consequently, the information requested is not disclosable. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on UK imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (available via their dedicated website www.uktradeinfo.com). The type of goods, and their value, exported to Australia are publicly available from this source.

Leader of the House

Opposition Days: Government Responses

Patrick Grady: To ask the Leader of the House, with reference to the Written Statement of 26 October 2017, HCWS199 on Opposition Day Debates, if she will adopt the approach taken by her predecessor that when a motion tabled by an Opposition party has been approved by the House, the relevant Minister will respond to the resolution of the House by making a statement no more than 12 weeks after the debate.

Penny Mordaunt: It is vital that the Government sets out its position on matters and this is usually done during the debate, in particular in the Minister’s closing remarks that respond to the points that have been raised. The Government will always listen carefully to the views of the House and will continue to make regular oral or written statements to announce policy developments, provide updates and respond to events.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the Government will begin pre-legislative scrutiny for the proposed ban on conversion therapy.

Stuart Andrew: The Government will publish a draft Bill setting out our approach to banning conversion practices (also known as ‘conversion therapy’) which will go for pre-legislative scrutiny by joint committee in this parliamentary session.